What could've been
by 924inlegend
Summary: It's a somewhat crossover because Tom appears in this. It's a love triangle between him, Ariadne and Arthur. Ha! Twice the JGL. During another mission, Ariadne feels an attraction between her and Arthur. It's up to him to give an answer.
1. Fancying and Interest

**Chapter 1. Fancying and Interest**

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><p><strong>Author note<strong>

Damn, first chapter is always rough or in my opinion, a bit crap so sorry if it is. Anyway, enjoy this story and Tom doesn't come in just yet so patience.

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><p>The whole team was gathered together after 1 year of their previous mission. A close call it was in the end. But, the Extractor, Pointman, Architect, Forger and Chemist were all fine to join another mission. Ariadne, the youngest but who was in her last year of university, found it great to be reunited with the others. Particularly, one person. <p>

Make it two people in particular because she wanted to make sure Cobb was going alright after she discovered his deepest secret. It turns out that Cobb is recovering fine and taking care of his kids. She's happy with that result. Back to the main person she wanted to see. During the first mission, they didn't exactly have close contact in comparison to her and Cobb but he informed her well. He taught her on architectural skills possibly required for the mission and there was even a moment of a kiss that happened. Yet, no word was made between them on that particular action. It was just focused on work for both of them afterwards. Was it wrong for her to feel that there was a little spark during that moment? She wanted to find out but in due time. 

She greeted most of the guys in the warehouse saving the particular person for last. She first talked to Cobb then talked to Yusef who was serving as a medicine maker and supplier. Eames was still with the gambling game and with women. She finally strolled her way over to the person she wanted to talk and listen to: Arthur. 

"Hey Arthur" Ariadne greeted. He turned around and gave a small smile. "Hey. How have you been?" Arthur began. They conversed on general things such as where they had been during the year after the mission. Arthur was staying stateside in the US which was where he originally was going to stay before the mission they did and Ariadne was still obviously in Paris. 

"So last year of university huh?" Arthur examined. "Yeah, last year of study then I go off on my own way" Ariadne answered. "You still good to go with researching and all that?" Ariadne added. "I should be" Arthur replied. Ariadne was itching to bring up topic of their 'romantic contact' but it would have to be a bit longer till it'd be wise to do so. General conversation is what she had to settle for. "Well, I hope the best for you for your last year. You'll be entering the real world after that as a young woman" Arthur granted. Ariadne smiled in thanks before all the conversation had to stop and everything be brought to business. 

Everyone sat down listening to what the mission was about. Ariadne listened but switched between the mission talk and her thoughts about Arthur. She had to admit, she was into mature guys (Not absolute old guys) but most of them thought Ariadne was younger than she actually was. That always was a set-off but Arthur to her respected her. He didn't treat her as she was some kid so might be it part of the answer if he's interested in her? Only time could tell. Ariadne was getting impatient waiting around to see if it were real or not. Arthur was always a private, devoted to work but closed off person. She wondered if she could change that. Maybe she could. Over these next couple of months, she could in fact try.


	2. Questioning

**Chapter 2. Questioning**

The first few weeks of work went fast. Each group member did their respective job to contribute to getting ready for the actual carrying out of the mission. It would take 7 months for them to prepare until they'd take down their target. The team went through various dream exercises such as an obstacle course, a maze and shifting environments. Ariadne luckily had a session with Arthur about paradoxes.

She came into the warehouse to find Arthur. "Where are the others?" Ariadne asked. Arthur looked up from setting chairs. "Oh they went some other place to try out some new activity" Arthur answered. "You ready for more paradox training?" He continued. Ariadne nodded. She put her bag down and sat on one of the lawn chairs. The two of them rolled up their sleeves then pulled a cord from the briefcase. They attached the cord and soon enough entered a white, empty room.

Ariadne observed the place. "Sorry, I don't have much inspiration" Arthur joked. They walked along a hallway which seemed to stretch forever. Ariadne thought they were walking this hallway for at least 5 minutes non-stop. "Let me ask you a question" Arthur began. She looked up anticipating a question. "The direction and shape: Do you think we're heading straight?" Ariadne furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" she enquired. "This hallway: is it completely straight and forward to you?" Arthur questioned again. "It feels like it is" Ariadne replied. Arthur stopped. "Look behind you" She did and was shocked to see the ceiling of the hallway was moving upwards and further away. "Were we going downwards?" Ariadne asked. Arthur gave a nod. "With paradox, you use the environment motion in the dream to move and switch the stairs. But with this skill, you require a deeper feel and connection to architecture and motion. What I just did was create an illusion of movement advancement to make you think you were moving in a straight forward direction. It comes useful for probably a maze and trying to lead projections the wrong way. Also, you could apply it to paths, hallways and stairs to throw off the projections just like the paradox steps did to reroute you the other way" Arthur explained. Ariadne was amazed at this technique. "What other paradox techniques do you know?" Ariadne asked. "Well, we first have to see if you can try and pull this off first then I'll show more techniques" Arthur shared. Ariadne wanted to see more tricks but was still enthusiastic to try.

As soon as Arthur stopped taking control and handling the paradox technique, it was clear to see that it was walled off stairs that the two of them were both going down along. She tested to feel the motion of going down the stairs like normal. "It felt so real like a normal hallway" Ariadne commented. "Now it's your turn to try and make it feel like it" Arthur mentioned. She tried her hardest. She stared at mid-air trying to concentrate. Arthur stood by watching her and trying to observe if the stairs were shifting yet. "I can't do it" Ariadne admitted. "Of course you can" Arthur opposed. "You just have to concentrate" Ariadne had been concentrating hard enough and it took all of her energy. "Can we just please go back and try some other technique because, it's doing my head in" Ariadne protested. "No! We are going to do this. Just try one more time" Arthur didn't want Ariadne to give up. She shook her head and held her hand against her forehead trying to massage it. "Alright, let me help you" Arthur suggested.

She was caught off guard as Arthur grabbed her wrists and looked straight at her. He was able to look straight at her due to the fact he was on the lower stair and she was on the higher one. "You just _need_ to focus" Arthur emphasized. Ariadne stayed looking at him. She thought for a second that she was going to be hypnotized or something but then again, being mesmerized by him is just the same. "Close your eyes" Arthur started. She was hesitant to do so at first. "It'll help" He added. Ariadne closed her eyes and continued to listen to Arthur's instructions. "You know the appearance of the location we're at right now. The structural walls enclosing the stairs. The tiled ground. This is all a normal somewhat eternal staircase." She visualized the stairs in vivid imagery. "How was the hallway? The hallway was straight, forward and also eternal. It stretched the distance with the enclosed walls as well. You have them in your head?" Arthur persisted. She nodded her head still keeping her eyes closed. "You can tell a difference of movement when you go through them" She imagined walking through them experiencing the difference of leveled ground and descending ground. "What do the two have in common?" Arthur asked. She paused to think. "They have… straight, leveled lines and platforms?" Ariadne guessed. "Yes! Now, you can see how they merged. The straight path of the hallway just sunk down to create the steps of the stairs. Now, imagine the merging and hold onto the change to the hallway" Arthur instructed. Ariadne did so behind her closed eyes and imagined elevating the steps to level the path to the hallway. Although, she was doing more than just imagining. She was actually transforming the stairs into the hallway. She didn't notice Arthur being elevated to level ground making him taller again. "Keep doing what you're imagining. I'm going to get you to walk right now with your eyes closed" Arthur clarified. "Wait, what? Are you trying to make me fall?" It was hard for Ariadne to balance talking, the paranoia and keeping her image. The floor of the hallway slightly fell leaving it uneven and with exposed holes. "Just trust me and don't lose that image. Focus" Arthur insisted. Ariadne breathed in then out before agreeing and trusting him. Arthur waited till the floor of the hallway was level and fixed. He slowly walked backwards keeping hold of Ariadne. She took little shuffles of steps and when she thought a step was going to appear, she tried to dip her foot but was surprised for level ground. Arthur started picking up the pace still keeping hold of her. They were soon at walking pace and she smiled with her eyes still closed. They had just walked what felt like 6 feet. He stopped and let go of her. "Open your eyes" She opened them and saw the last moments of the hallway floor before it slowly sank to the ground exposing the stairs.

"I did it?" Ariadne enquired. "Yes. See what you can do when you have the deep understanding of the architecture and movement?" Arthur responded. Ariadne couldn't stop smiling due to her achievement. "See? You can do it. With just a bit more practice, you can maintain and control the structure of the hallway or the stairs being made" Arthur added. She continued to smile and stare at him. He paid attention and time to her to let her achieve this. He was doing this for her benefit. Was it part of the answer again if there was something between them? Suddenly, they overheard a beeping. "That's the timer, we should get back. Cobb would be back with the others" Arthur recommended. Soon enough, they both opened their eyes and pulled the cord from their wrist. Cobb entered the warehouse with Yusuf and Eames. "Did you teach her a technique?" Cobb examined. "Yep, and she executed it pretty well" Arthur answered. Ariadne blushed a little but luckily, it wasn't noticeable to Arthur as he turned to her. "You're free to go and work on the designs. Good job" Arthur praised.

After that exercise, it made Ariadne contemplate. That paradox technique somewhat applied to her. What if she was going under the illusion she was walking straight into something more than co-workers with Arthur but was in fact going lower or higher or… further away from what she thought. That question was stuck in her head during the following week of training until she couldn't take it any longer. She marched into the warehouse from her room. Thankfully, Arthur was sitting at the table going over some papers and had the briefcase open. Ariadne quietly treaded towards him. She didn't want to startle him so she went around the other side of the table and sat across from him.

Ariadne cleared her throat. "I know you're there. I'm just trying to adjust something with the briefcase" Arthur answered behind the briefcase. "Oh no, I'm just clearing my throat" Ariadne clarified. Arthur tested some more things in the briefcase then soon closed it to expose a face that made Ariadne's heart skip a beat. Ariadne cleared her throat again to compose herself. "Um, I've been meaning to tell you something" Ariadne began. Arthur put the briefcase and the papers on the floor just leaving the table bare. "Go ahead" Arthur sat back and loosened his tie. Ariadne did her best to not let it distract her. "Well first, I never got to properly thank you for helping me learn the hallway technique. Thank you very much" Ariadne thanked. "It's nothing. Plus, we'll have another paradox training session soon. I've been meaning to show you the other tricks" He cracked his knuckles while trying to stretch his hands. "Okay. Well, there's this other major thing I've been meaning to discuss with you" She put her hands tight together and leaned her arms closer towards him. "Is it something about work?" Arthur inquired. "Oh no. I think it's… quite _far_ from that" Ariadne replied. "Then what is it?" She looked downwards and bit her lip. How would she say this to him? "Ariadne?" She raised her head in response. "Um. Sorry. I was just finding a way to put this" Arthur raised an eyebrow and eased more into the back of his chair. Ariadne gulped. "Are we friends? Because, I was thinking… we could try… to have a one on one chat" Ariadne awkwardly asked. Arthur blinked in slight confusion of this random question. "Uh, sure. I guess we're… friends." Arthur answered. "So, tell me about yourself. Where you came from and… your family" Ariadne continued. "Um, okay. Let me think" Arthur looked to the side and thought to himself what to say. Ariadne lowered her head downwards and thumped her fisted hand against her forehead. She felt so stupid. She needed to get to the point.

Arthur shared about general things from his life. She had to admit, it was a further step than when they spoke about light, conversation topics. But she was kicking herself of why she was pushing time further until she'd tell him about what she needed to question about them. Ariadne felt like she was wasting Arthur's time and a bit of her time as well. Arthur finished then asked about her life. "Oh no, You don't need to hear about my boring life." Ariadne lied. "No. We're friends so spill it Ariadne" Arthur insisted. She didn't exactly want them to be friends but she obeyed his request. She shared about her childhood and her early passion of being an architect and it genuinely interested Arthur. After 20 minutes of Ariadne's story, she finally felt the moment was right. "That's a great story Ariadne." Arthur flattered. She nodded in thanks and was about to say what she was meaning to say. "Arthur, look. I have to-" Ariadne was cut off by Arthur's phone. "Sorry. I just need to take this" Arthur hopped off his chair and answered his phone. Ariadne sat in silence as Arthur talked to the caller. "Are you serious?" Arthur exclaimed. Ariadne looked in alarm at Arthur since it sounded as if something serious happened. "I'll be right there" Arthur hung up. "Look, I'm really sorry Ariadne but I have to leave. It was great talking to you. We should do this again sometime." Arthur proposed. Ariadne stammered trying to find words to express that she desperately needed to tell Arthur her question. Arthur started walking away. "And be in the warehouse tomorrow morning as soon as I come back. I'll teach you another technique tomorrow" Arthur exclaimed. He was soon gone as he closed the door. Ariadne put her head on the table in frustration. Her question had to wait another day.


	3. Wasting Time

**3. Wasting time**

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><p><strong>Author note:<strong>

Holy crap, this is the longest chapter I've ever written because I am really weird when I write fanfics: I somehow get distracted and I complete different chapters leaving gaps so I have basically finished the last couple of chapters of this story even though I'm not up to it. Very weird! Anyway, thanks to the people who have put this story on their alerts or favourite stories or reviewed this. I appreciate the fact that you like this story. Anyway, behold the longest chapter I've ever written!

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><p>Ariadne slept that night with many disruptions. Her mind kept playing tricks on her. She dreamt through the night replaying the situation of her talk with Arthur. Except this time, resulting in her telling him the truth. Each dream was different due to each scenario of answer. From a simple yes to a no, to a laugh to a silence, to an elaborative answer to a walk away. She woke up every time thinking that each scenario happened in reality. Finally, after the last time of waking up, it was morning. She decided to get up and get ready for her work session with the man that was keeping her up all night.<p>

Ariadne entered the warehouse finding Arthur there already. He had set up everything but he looked tired as he sat slumped forward rubbing his eyes. He must've pulled an all-nighter due to the business he had to deal with that side-tracked him last night. "Good morning" Ariadne greeted. Arthur looked up in reaction to expose his blood-shot eyes. "Hey" Arthur replied. Ariadne sat on the edge of the lawn chair facing him. "When did you arrive?" she asked. "Uh, probably an hour ago. What I had to do was such a pain in the ass and a waste of time." Arthur complained. "So you haven't slept at all?" Ariadne asserted. "Yea but don't worry. I can survive" Arthur dismissed. "Alright let's start this session. Cobb and the others will arrive soon and I think they have some things to do with you after this" Arthur rolled his sleeve up while explaining. Ariadne did the same but was still concerned about his state of slight fatigue. They connected the cords to their wrists and soon entered the same white room.

"Thank God I only have to remember a white room as our environment. My brain can't as such handle too much thinking at the moment. I need coffee that's what." Arthur stated. They walked out the white room to a staircase again. "Alright, first things first. Show me your progress with the hallway staircase shift technique" Arthur continued. She showed him amazingly that she could hold onto the hallway image as they walked along it. "Great work. You got the hang of it" Arthur praised. "Took a few times to get it right but anyway, it's really helpful" Ariadne retorted. They stopped in place as Arthur was satisfied with Ariadne's learning towards this skill. "Okay, what's next?" Arthur rubbed his right side temple trying to think about what to teach her next. "You know we can just postpone this session because I know you're really tired" Ariadne suggested. "No. No it's alright. I just need coffee. I'll have it after we finish this" Arthur answered. "That's it!" He clicked his fingers due to realizing what he could teach her. "But this isn't exactly the place to teach you." He started walking so Ariadne followed him. He soon led her to another white, empty room but with a couple of pieces of furniture. It was also much bigger. Twice as wide and high. "Alright, this is going to be fun. I promise you" Arthur commented. Ariadne raised an eyebrow in confusion but anticipated him teaching her this 'fun' skill.

Arthur strolled around the room observing it before he turned to Ariadne. "Okay, I need you to close your eyes again" Arthur insisted. She did so and waited for further instructions. Was she going to have to imagine something again and make the environment shift? "Now, this is going to feel a bit freaky but I promise you, you'll be safe when it happens" Arthur notified. Ariadne couldn't help but feel slightly worried due to Arthur's note. "Just let yourself be calm and feel what happens" Arthur mentioned. She inhaled and exhaled multiple times to be in a peaceful state while trying to fight her paranoia due to wondering what was going to happen. Suddenly, she felt herself falling towards her right side and landing on the wall. She opened her eyes and found herself on the ground but she swore to herself that it was the right side wall. She turned herself over to find the furniture on the left wall now. This perplexed her so much. "What just happened?" Ariadne questioned. Arthur pulled her up to her feet and walked closer towards the left wall and looked up. "What you just experienced was… a gravity shift" Arthur simplified. Ariadne looked up as well with the furniture still hanging onto the left wall. "Wasn't that just the floor and then… we fell to the right wall or something" Ariadne pointed out. "I know it looks confusing at the moment. Maybe you can keep your eyes open this time and watch what happens. I only got you to close your eyes to feel what was happening but now, you can see" Arthur specified. Ariadne was caught off guard as Arthur held onto her by her wrist while looking upwards. She looked up in time though to feel herself and Arthur being pulled towards their right to land on the right side wall and revolving the furniture right above them hanging upside down. "I just had to keep hold of you so you wouldn't fall on the ground again" Arthur declared. He had let go of her as they both looked above them seeing the furniture upside down. "Are they going to fall?" Ariadne enquired. Arthur let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, I made sure they stay like that" Arthur assured.

"So now you've seen and felt what a gravity shift is like" Arthur added. Ariadne wandered around the room observing the ceiling of furniture. "It looks complex to do" Ariadne remarked. "Oh no, it should be easy to try. It'll just need time just like how you learnt the hallway staircase shift technique. Basically, a gravity shift requires focus and control on gravity. It's easy to control in a small space like a room but it'd be hard in vast spaces. As we know, gravity is what pushes us down towards the ground. To shift it, we change the direction of gravity causing the ground centralization to change, hence clarifying why we drop to a different side of the room" Arthur explained. Yet again, Ariadne was astounded at this skill. Possibly more than the hallway staircase shift technique. "How exactly do we change the direction of gravity?" Ariadne examined. "It does seem difficult when the question is put out along with our initial thought of using scientific knowledge but, in a dream, gravity is just titled as part of being in the environment. What does a dreamer control? Their created environment so you'd simply be able to control the gravity just like that." Arthur responded. Ariadne also loved a smart guy and that was exactly what Arthur was. "Now to what I just said, I also planted a briefcase in here so we'll enter another layer of dream and you can use your created environment and test out a gravity shift." Arthur immediately switched the gravity to the direction to the ceiling. Arthur hadn't held onto Ariadne so she landed (luckily) on the couch. Arthur somehow landed safely on his feet. "Sorry. I forgot to hold onto you. I guess the only difficult thing with a gravity shift is trying to get your landing right" Arthur joked. He had opened the briefcase and pulled out two cords giving one to Ariadne. "I'll give us 5 minutes to attempt the gravity shift then we'll wake up again back here" Arthur informed. They leaned back against the couch and soon landed in an empty classroom.

"School is your ultimate dream environment?" Arthur inquired. Ariadne also loved a sense of a humor in a guy and Arthur had a sensible one. She was just dying to ask her question to him but she restrained herself from asking it during work or else they'd get distracted. She was going to try and ask him again sometime during an alone chat with him. Hopefully later tonight. "No, I just decided to make a random environment on the spot and so I have chosen a type of classroom. Anyway, I love school so it applies to me." Ariadne clarified. Ariadne looked towards the ceiling of the classroom and noticed it was quite high. "I'll see if there's a smaller classroom. This one looks too big for my liking" Ariadne observed. They both exited the classroom and walked down a corridor. It was quite long and their footsteps echoed along it. She peered into glass windows on the doors to see if the room was a small size. She also noticed Arthur continuously yawning and blinking his eyes heavily as if to wake himself up. "You're getting even more tired and don't say it's just because you haven't had your dose of caffeine" Ariadne pronounced. "It's alright. I'm not tired and yes I will say it's because I haven't had coffee because that helps me to wake up." Arthur answered. "You know what, I can carry it on from here. You have to go and rest or something. Exit the dream layers now and go back to your room and sleep" Ariadne contended. "No, I'm alright! I can survive the day until I graciously go to sleep tonight. I have to work first whether or not I've had a good night's sleep or not" Arthur countered. "I'm sure Cobb would prefer if you were focused and rejuvenated from a nap then dragging on through the day with lack of sleep. Plus, I'm concerned because…we're…friends" Ariadne stopped in her place and bitterly ended that sentence but Arthur didn't take notice. "Look, I know we're friends and you're just looking out for me but I am fine. I'll pull through today. You just worry about yourself and work. I'll be fine" Arthur continued. She looked at him as he replied. He had every attribute that she would like in an ideal guy. His maturity, his smartness, his sense of humor, his nature of putting people forward before himself. He was perfect and she was wasting valuable time letting her question about them linger in her head.

Ariadne finally found a reasonably small room. After peering into it, she opened the door to observe all around it. "This looks like a good room to test a gravity shift in" Arthur remarked. They pushed the table over to one side and prepared themselves in the space. "Alright, to change the direction of gravity, you need to focus on – well obviously – gravity. Again, you need to focus on the motion – of gravity this time - and be connected. Soon enough, you'll have the gravity change direction and make sure to keep in note when to land" Arthur explained. Ariadne stood still in one spot and looked upwards. Arthur circled around her then was about to suggest she closed her eyes but smiled to see that Ariadne had already done so. With her eyes closed, she tried to focus on motion and feel of gravity. Her mind exaggerating the feel, she felt it push down against her. Arthur stood in front of Ariadne observing her. She was still in focus of feeling the gravity that soon enough, as if she was actually lifting against it, she was able to change the direction of the gravity. She didn't even mind falling back towards the wall that became the ground. She opened her eyes as Arthur pulled her up. "I did it. I actually did it" Ariadne repeated. She smiled again at her achievement. "And on first go. You're really starting to understand the environment of the dream. I'm really proud" Arthur praised. They looked up as the heard the beeping of the timer and they soon opened their eyes to see the white room again. "You know what, I think we've done enough for today. I'm happy you were able to pull off the technique. You can practice by yourself now. If you want a challenge, you could try to control the gravity of an environment that isn't yours. It requires twice the concentration but at the rate you're going, I think you'll be able to achieve" Arthur finalized. The timer also went off and they opened their eyes again to see the warehouse.

They both pulled the cords from their wrists and Cobb, Yusuf and Eames entered just in time. "Another session?" Cobb asked. "Yes and with success" Arthur replied. He looked up towards them showing his blood-shot eyes again after pulling the cord off and they all reacted. "My word, you're in a terrible state Arthur" Eames contributed. "Your honesty is always appreciated Eames" Arthur stood up as he closed the briefcase. "Arthur, have you had any sleep?" Yusuf asked. "No but it's nothing guys. I just had to go out last night to do something and it took all night and I came back here straight after. I've done this before. It's nothing major" Arthur discussed. "Arthur" He looked up in surprise to even hear Cobb add his opinion. "You shouldn't overwork yourself. I know you contribute to this mission so you shouldn't feel as if you _have_ to continuously work no matter what. We have our limits" Cobb continued. Arthur looked from each person finding it surprising that they were so concerned. "That's what I've been telling you Arthur" Ariadne added. "Take a break Arthur. Us four will work through the day." Cobb persisted. Arthur looked from each person again until he gave in. "Fine, I'll go rest if you insist" Arthur started walking towards the hallway leading to the rooms but turned around to give his thanks. "But I appreciate the concern" The four of them watched him go around the corner into the hallway. "Okay, back to work" Eames inserted.

Ariadne worked through the day with the other guys quite fine. They were amazed at the new skill she had learned. Ariadne appreciated the praise but she felt that it was to go more towards Arthur. After all, he had taught her to do it. She was happy that he was finally resting because he really did need it. She contemplated again and found that her new known skill applies to her situation again. She had to stop wasting time by keeping the question to herself. She had to tell it to Arthur soon to possibly change the gravity of their relationship. She then agreed to herself that she should tell it to him tonight. Ariadne kept that plan in her head during training through the day and wanted to make sure to do it. By the time it was the afternoon, Arthur was still in his room. Maybe sleeping still. Ariadne let him be and tried to pass the time by reviewing the hard copies of the designs again. She also multi-tasked thinking of how she would break down her question to Arthur. It was soon 7pm and Ariadne was still sitting at a desk with a light checking the designs and replaying the scenario of conversation. When she looked up, Arthur had made his way quietly and was sitting right in front of her as if teasing her to ask the question. This was it. The moment had come.

"Hey, had a good sleep?" Ariadne inquired. "You bet. I have never felt so energized." Arthur returned. Her heart skipped a beat again as she saw him smile. "Look, I never got to thank you properly for being concerned about me. I just had no idea that everybody would be so up in arms about my fatigue but you were the first one to be up in arms about it but in a good way so… thanks" Arthur acknowledged. Ariadne nodded and smiled in reply. She looked back down pretending to do the designs but tried to recite her dialogue of breaking down the question. It was silence for a couple of minutes. "You're a true friend" Arthur added.

Ariadne stopped everything. She stopped trying to remember the conversation because that very phrase that Arthur uttered triggered something. Arthur tried to look at her face wondering why she had frozen. "Ariadne?" She looked up in delay but her smile had faded into a straight line. "What's wrong?" Arthur observed. Ariadne's original dialogue was put in a quite awkwardly manner. It was only because she was overthinking it but this moment though, she didn't need to think because what she started to do next came out of her mouth so naturally. "We're not friends" Ariadne stated. Arthur frowned in confusion at Ariadne's statement. "What? Where- where did you get such a thing? Who _told_ you such a thing?" Arthur interrogated. "I mean, not in a bad sense but… there's something between us… Isn't there?" Ariadne corrected. Arthur shook his head. "No. There's nothing bad going on between us. Who's telling you these things? Eames? Because he's saying nonsense" Arthur answered. "No! Nothing is in a bad sense Arthur. Ok? Just keep that in mind because I have to tell you something that I was meaning to tell you ever since our one on one chat" Ariadne clarified. "You mean our chat when you said we were friends?" Arthur quizzed. 'Okay, Arthur" She put her hands together and pointed them towards him. "I need you to step away from the whole 'friends' thing for just a moment" Ariadne mentioned. Arthur was so perplexed at the change of nature from Ariadne. He was quite oblivious to where Ariadne was going with this. "Excuse me for reading into something but I just had this feeling that something was going on between us. That we're _just _not friends and it isn't in a bad sense. It's more in the opposite way" Arthur decided to keep quiet and listen to her. Ariadne inhaled and exhaled before revealing the big deal breaker statement. "The sense that I'm talking about… is in a somewhat romantic sense" Arthur held a straight face or he had contained himself from reacting. "I have to come out with it because it was eating me alive. So then, I think I like you in… that sense and I need to know… if you like me in that way as well"


	4. The Outcome of Answering

**4. The outcome of answering**

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><p><strong>Author note:<strong>

I'm sorry people for having to make you guys wait a week for this. I just got bogged down with school but I'm trying my best to update this and I also got sidetracked with future chapters and if you would like to know: this is heading to about 20 chapters and I'm thinking of a sort of sequel and threequel (That's not really a word) to follow so yay! Although for now, enjoy this new chapter!

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><p>The next couple of days between Arthur and Ariadne were hard. They avoided each other and it was proven awkward. As much as Ariadne kept repeating that she was fine, she was mix-emoted with stupidity, slight spitefulness and lower spirit. She went from being somewhat infatuated with him to being disheartened by him. Arthur couldn't help but sense the tension that had just been created between them but he had to tell her the truth.<p>

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><p>As soon as Arthur heard Ariadne utter her feelings about him, he remained silent and still. He slowly absorbed what she had just told and it was truly deal breaking. Just as Arthur had gotten worried when Ariadne froze, Ariadne returned and did the same. "Arthur?" Ariadne called. After a moment, Arthur finally blinked and snapped out of shock and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. Wha-what did you say?" Arthur inquired. "Um… that, I…think we're more than what we are" Ariadne mumbled. Arthur placed his elbows on the table and wiped his hands upwards and through his hair. He kept his hands over his head and stared into mid-air. "Look, I'm sorry that I've caught you off guard with what I had to tell you but… I've wanted to tell you this for so long" Arthur was totally stunned by Ariadne's disclosure as he kept staring in shock. Ariadne found it disturbing for Arthur to be so uneasy or unnerved. It was a different side of him that she has never seen. "Ugh, I don't think I should've brought it up" Ariadne stated. "Oh no. No-no-no. It's alright" Arthur responded. They stayed sitting in silence but they both knew there must be an answer for this question. <p>

"Arthur, I'm so sorry I put you into this position" Ariadne uttered. "But can I ask if… you know" She gestured in hope to convey the end of the sentence without saying it. Arthur sighed in exasperation. "Ariadne, I-"For a man who had his way with words, Arthur had lost the ability to speak. "I…just don't know what to say" Arthur commented. "You say what you want to. Say the truth" Ariadne answered. Arthur could sense the implication of answer coming from Ariadne. He sighed again before placing his elbow on the table with his hand massaging the area above his eyebrows. "Can I ask how…you came to terms with this revelation?" Arthur asked. "Of course" Ariadne paused as she sorted her thoughts. 

"Ever since we first met, I took special notice of you. You were at first sort of mysterious which refers to the phrase 'tall, dark and handsome" Arthur let out a gentle chuckle which made Ariadne happy to see a different emotion instead of shock. "Throughout the mission, other than Cobb, you also took notice of me and helped me with the work and whatnot. As I got to know you especially on this mission, I found you had…particular traits which I find in my type of ideal guy" Ariadne clarified. Arthur raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do I _have_ which is in an ideal guy for you?" Arthur questioned. "Well…" Ariadne started to blush due to the fact she was going to expose of her thoughts about him and how his face was filled with curiosity. She bit her lip before continuing. "Well, there's your maturity. Your intelligence. Your sense of humor. Your quality of putting others before yourself. You're hardworking" Ariadne listed. Arthur was intently listening to her and could see her genuine interest and feelings for him. "You also have charm…your looks" Ariadne added. Arthur smiled in amusement. All this talk about ideal partners made Arthur think of his ideal girl. Also, if Ariadne matched any of those particular traits. It'd help him come up with an answer. 

"That's most of the main traits I guess" Ariadne concluded. Arthur knew he should answer her soon or else it'll just keep her hanging. But, he was torn between the two simple responses. "Was there any particular moment that…you had definite feelings?" Arthur quizzed. "I'm not sure because I kept us at first on the co-workers level throughout most of the mission but I had to admit, you seemed…distracting but other than that, there wasn't much of a spark until possibly the kiss" Ariadne returned. Arthur nodded slowly and figured that the kiss was probably a contribution to these feelings created. "Well, to be correct and technical, when you did do that, it was quite conceited and I couldn't help but be amused by that. When the mission ended though, it felt weird without the team and in the back of my mind, I sort of thought about you. Then it led to the start of this new mission and, something just let my thoughts about you lead to my current feelings" Ariadne justified. 

This whole discussion let Arthur understand more but he still didn't know what to answer. He went back to the ideal qualities he finds in a girl. With Ariadne, he liked her intelligence, she had a somewhat cute quality to her (It was probably due to her young age), she was hardworking, caring and talented in her field of work, she was also mature and truthful, she wasn't bad on the looks and she was quite optimistic. Unlike her though, Arthur had to analyze the downfall if he got involved with Ariadne. She was quite young so he wasn't sure if she would be able to handle a serious relationship, they started out co-workers so it could turn out weirdly if they were each other during work and most importantly, he wasn't sure if he was willing to go and be involved in a relationship with anyone at all. It was hard weighing out these things. He simply just didn't want to hurt Ariadne but which ever answer he chose and with the applied negatives or positives, he could hurt her either way. Ariadne called his name again figuring he had remained silent to contemplate. "So Arthur, you now know everything. I hate to bring it to this but do you have an answer?" Ariadne asked. He stared straight at her and knew this was the moment to tell it. He gulped. "Ariadne-"

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><p>"Ariadne? Ariadne." She finally looked up at Arthur after he called her name for the third time. She maintained a straight face (Or more like a grimace to Arthur). Ever since he told his answer to her, Arthur observed that Ariadne had not smiled since then and unfortunately, this morning, he spotted her with slightly red eyes. He had hurt her and he had hurt her bad. He couldn't help it though. He had to tell her the truth. She said so herself. It was truly awkward and uncomfortable between them. "Um, do you have the draft designs? Cobb and the others would like to see it" Arthur asked. Ariadne slackly lifted up the designs and held them loosely in her hand for Arthur to take. He quickly took them and walked away. Another observation that Arthur made was that Ariadne had barely talked to him or anyone. He really wanted to apologize and elaborate more on his answer that he gave to her but it looked like she wouldn't even listen. He reached the meeting room that Cobb, Yusuf and Eames were in. "I got them" Arthur placed the draft designs on the table and the other three observed them in unison. "By the way, where's Ariadne? Did someone tell her that we're having a meeting right now?" Cobb examined. Yusuf and Eames shook their heads. "Should I get her?" Eames enquired. Cobb nodded and Eames stood up and left the room. Arthur started fidgeting with his hands because he felt that it was going to be quite inconvenient for them two to be near each other. Eames soon entered the room and took his seat while Ariadne slowly entered the room. As Cobb was distributing sheets to the three guys he gestured swiftly to the seat next to Arthur on the end which she had to sit in. She again slowly moved towards the seat and Arthur shuffled his seat more towards the direction of Yusuf. He knew she wanted space and he wanted to stay as far away from her. Ariadne folded her arms and looked straight towards Cobb's direction and nowhere else especially towards her right. <p>

"Alright, we have everyone. So as we were discussing: for the past month, we've simply just been doing revision exercises. I think it's time we start getting down to business and thankfully Ariadne has taken the liberty to start working on designs" Cobb explained. Arthur glanced at Ariadne who didn't even move a muscle to react. "Anyway, I suggest we start working on tactics for this mission and apply them in the dream world. We need to tackle the main areas of: combat, defense, focus, exploring the designs and infiltrating. Those are the main ones to focus on for now. Oh. And another area is fluent co-operation." Cobb revealed. Arthur felt a bit unsure about the last area considering his current situation. "If we work on those now with serious conditions in the dream world then we may have made a good start to completing this mission" Cobb continued. He stood up to stand next to a whiteboard behind him. "Most times, we will work on those areas as our group but I also expect you to work on some of them as individuals or pairs. Whatever works for you. Now, I have some suggested areas you guys might want to focus on due to early observation ever since the first mission. He wrote each person's name then turned back to them. "Firstly, Yusuf. I think you should work on combat and maybe defense" Cobb remarked. "I know. Well, I guess that's what I get for being the chemist. Physical activities weren't ever my forte." Yusuf responded. Cobb drew an arrow from Yusuf's name horizontally to 'combat and defense'. "Next, Eames. I advise you probably work on focus. Just try to work with forging plenty of identities." Cobb stated. "Whatever you say Cobb" Eames simplified. Cobb drew the same for Eames on the whiteboard. "Arthur-"Cobb paused to think of something for him. "I don't think you're particularly flawed in one area but there's always room for improvement." Cobb mentioned. "Yep" Arthur replied. Cobb didn't need to draw anything for Arthur. "Ariadne-"Arthur glanced again at Ariadne who at least shifted her vision directly towards Cobb. "I think you can work on the same areas as Yusuf but other than that, you're fine" Cobb noted. Ariadne nodded her head in reply. Cobb drew an arrow from Ariadne's name to Yusuf's areas of focus. He then clicked the pen shut. "As for me, I'll be working on focus as well and even though it's not listed: control" Everyone knew what he meant by that. "The personal work on these areas is to be balanced with other priorities. I know for a fact that you Yusuf have been experimenting on sedatives with Eames" Cobb commented. "And I have never had such splendid sleep" Eames joked. Everyone gave an amused expression except for Ariadne. "I recommend you two can keep working on that together and I suggest the same for you two" Cobb pointed towards Arthur and Ariadne. "Continue with the paradox training on most days. Actually, I think I might want to join you two in a session this week. Just to observe the two of you working together" Cobb declared. 

Arthur and Ariadne both gave surprised expressions. Arthur cleared his throat. "Um, I'm not…sure about that" Arthur countered. "Why? What's the problem?" Cobb questioned. "Well… it's a bit hard to explain. It's sort of personal but…" Arthur uncomfortably scratched his head trying to find words to share his situation. He actually wasn't sure if he could share it but he thought he was doing something that Ariadne wanted. "Do you need to see me afterwards personally?" Cobb proposed. "Maybe… also with Ariadne" Arthur answered. Eames and Yusuf switched their vision from Arthur and Ariadne to Cobb and were rather suspicious about what was going on. "Why with Ariadne?" Cobb inquired. "That's what I meant…by…personal-"Before he knew it, Arthur was unexpectedly cut off by Ariadne but what was more unexpected was what she said. "Oh don't worry. It's alright. There's no need to discuss this afterwards because there's no problem going on. _Right_ Arthur?" She (for the first time since the start of the meeting) faced Arthur. As much as she was acting as if nothing was wrong, he could see the bitterness in her eyes. "Uh, yes" Arthur added. She looked away from Arthur and back to Cobb who still had an eyebrow raised. "Okay, well, let's plan a session tomorrow. I'll come in early to see you two." Cobb proclaimed. Arthur and Ariadne nodded. "Meeting dismissed. You guys can go back to work" Cobb stood up and the others followed. Yusuf and Eames exited first then Cobb. Arthur was still sitting down but watched as Ariadne stood up. They shared one last glance before she walked out. Arthur sighed. He wasn't sure how he was going to deal with tomorrow.


	5. Bitterness, Disturbance and Imbalance

**5. Bitterness, Disturbance and imbalance**

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><p><strong>Author note:<br>**Deeply sorry people. This is the longest I have gone without updating a story. Truly sorry but here's the next chapter: enjoy!

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><p>Arthur had woken up early the next morning. He stayed in his room after getting dressed up just looking downwards towards the floor sitting on the edge of the bed. It was the ultimate obstacle for today: having to act as if nothing is wrong between him and Ariadne. He ran his hands through his hair and left them over his neck. He was willing to try and act natural but he was worried about Ariadne. Her bitterness towards him could be released and expose their situation of relation. After another five minutes of self silence and consideration, he got up and decided to face the complication for today. <p>

He walked into the warehouse with everything set up by Cobb. "Morning" Arthur greeted. "When did you get in?" Cobb looked up. "About half an hour ago. I was going to work on some things of my own first but since you're early, I guess that can wait" He answered. Arthur sat on a chair facing the briefcase. "Well, you could probably do a little bit of work now because I don't think Ariadne is getting up for another half an hour" Arthur suggested. Before Cobb could reply, they heard footsteps coming near along the hallway. "Good Morn-ing" Ariadne's greeting started out cheerful but toned down to normal when she saw Arthur. They simply stared at each other before Ariadne looked down and moved towards Cobb. Luckily, he wasn't looking at the unpleasant exchange between Ariadne and Arthur. "Morning Ariadne. Arthur was just saying you weren't going to get up for another half an hour" Cobb stated. "Well he doesn't know me then" Ariadne half smiled at Cobb but grimaced at Arthur. "Alright-"Cobb clapped his hands together to get started. "Like I said yesterday, I'll just be observing you two during your sessions so just pretend I'm not really there" The three of them pulled cords out of the briefcase and attached them to their wrists. As Cobb was talking, Arthur and Ariadne couldn't help but keep glancing at each other especially since the chairs were set in a triangle formation around the briefcase. Cobb was nearest to the briefcase and quickly set the timer. "We're ready?" They both nodded and were soon under as Cobb pressed the button. 

The white room and environment that Ariadne grew to like was only because of how she before was infatuated with Arthur. But now, she disliked it very much. Arthur led the way for Ariadne and Cobb and their first stop was the staircase. "Okay. Um… the first technique I taught Ariadne was the hallway staircase shift so… if you please Ariadne" She walked straight past Arthur and stood on the 4th step down. Cobb made his way behind Arthur to watch Ariadne. She inhaled and exhaled to get in the zone of concentration. Yet, there was one particular thing that stopped her from trying to pull off the technique: Arthur. She felt so angry, upset and resentful towards him that those emotions only filled her head. Plus, she hadn't practiced the techniques in a while since she was using silent treatment against Arthur and work. It was quite hard to concentrate and Cobb had furrowed his eyebrows in confusion wondering what was supposed to happen. Arthur was also wondering why it was taking so long for Ariadne to perform the technique. Ariadne was trying her best to picture the staircase to hallway transformation but her emotions kept distracting her. "Are you imagining the change?" Arthur asked. "Yes!" Ariadne abruptly shouted. Cobb was slightly startled by Ariadne's shout and could trace some anger in it. "Is it something she struggles in?" Cobb whispered to Arthur. "Not really, she's just at the moment…finding it hard to concentrate I think" Arthur answered. "You think?" Ariadne rudely mentioned. Cobb raised an eyebrow taking in more of Ariadne's anger. "Look, Ariadne -" Arthur was starting to panic as Ariadne's rage was starting to show. He needed to calm her down. She had opened her eyes as Arthur decided to talk to her. He touched her arm and it made her jerk it away. He moved in front of her one step down to make direct eye contact. 

"Ariadne-" Arthur's voice went to a murmur so that Cobb wouldn't hear them. "I haven't actually apologized to you since…the incident so I'm really sorry but you told me to tell the truth and I did." "Without a reason" Ariadne interrupted. "Because you walked out right after" Arthur responded. He also peered around to Cobb who seemed to be observing the environment and trying his best to not eavesdrop. "Well what do you expect? The answer you gave me really shut things down for me" Ariadne reasoned. "I said I'm sorry, okay?" Arthur repeated. "I know you have! Ju-just leave me alone for a bit. It's just a phase. I'll get over it soon enough…like you have" Ariadne coldly turned around and went back up the stairs and folded her arms. Cobb looked at Ariadne then saw Arthur come up the stairs. "Um, we'll show you the staircase hallway shift technique later but we can show you the gravity shift technique now" Arthur walked past Ariadne and Cobb to lead them to the room that he first showed her the gravity shift. Cobb now had an inkling that something was going on between Ariadne and Arthur. 

They entered the tall and wide room with the all the furniture. Cobb viewed the room while Ariadne simply stayed in one corner glowering. Arthur had stopped trying to talk to her but he glanced at her to say that she was to perform the gravity shift. She moved sulkily towards the center of the room. "Ah, the gravity shift. It was quite impressive when she performed it to us during the work day she had learned it" Cobb was still looking at the height of the room. "Have you attempted it lately?" Arthur turned towards Ariadne who was facing away from him. "I can try now" Ariadne replied. Cobb moved away from the wall and next to Arthur behind Ariadne. She closed her eyes again but it took a while for anything to happen. Cobb glanced at Arthur wondering again what was wrong. "Is this also a struggle for her?" Cobb mouthed as he gestured his head towards Ariadne. Arthur shook his head and pulled Cobb a bit back to whisper and explain to him. "When I was talking about the personal problem yesterday, I meant that Ariadne was going through… the personal problem." Arthur had to lie to cover up the tension that was between Ariadne and him. Although, Ariadne could still hear his murmurs which made her clench her fist. "She's just been going through a rough patch lately with…uh, private troubles like…family" Cobb nodded in understanding. "That explains why her enthusiasm seems to have dropped. How did you find out? Did she tell you?" Cobb quietly asked. "No, I researched it as much as it was an invasion of –"Ariadne had been starting to boil. Her emotions were taking control again. She was getting mad at Arthur due to the fact that he was so evasive of their problem together. She found it somewhat acceptable that he wasn't telling their situation to Cobb exactly but she was mad at the fact that Arthur altogether wouldn't discuss with her personally even though she said that she wanted space. For such a smart guy, he couldn't read between the lines. Arthur was cut off by Ariadne as she in a swift, enraged action caused the room to turn with the gravity shift. The three of them fell to the right side wall quite hard. Cobb painfully raised himself up on one arm and looked around. "What happened?" Cobb questioned. Arthur sat up from lying on his back while Ariadne immediately stood up. She stormed towards Arthur who was slowly standing up as well. Ariadne was determined to take it all out on Arthur. 

"What is wrong with you?" Ariadne enquired. Arthur just stayed staring at her not knowing what to say. "They were right about you. As much as I thought I liked about how you were down-to-earth, now I hate it. You lack imagination and inspiration which leads to your lack of emotional depth to understand what I'm going through and what I wanted" Arthur gulped and glanced behind to Cobb who as standing up now watching Ariadne and him. Arthur edged towards Ariadne. "Look, I'm sorry but we can discuss this elsewhere-"Ariadne backed away from him coming closer. "No! I would prefer right now to discuss it since you've been avoiding it." Ariadne demanded. "But you said you wanted space so I'm just serving what you requested" Arthur responded. "Are you stupid? You couldn't even read between the lines!" Ariadne argued. "_Why_ are you yelling at me? You said you wanted the truth and so I told you. If I told you the answer you were obviously implying, I would be lying to you" Arthur reasoned. "Oh, so you immediately thought 'no' about me like a reflex? Do you know how hard it was for me to come out telling you that?" Ariadne asked. "Of course I analyzed about the reasons to be with you or not. It's just that…one side ruled over the other" Arthur simplified. "And it really hurt me. Plus, you haven't even reasoned with me of why you didn't want to be involved with me" Ariadne stated. "You are confusing me. I know for a fact that you've been avoiding me just as much as I have to you. There was that one time I _did_ try to talk you. Anyway, I've apologized and apologized. What more do you want?" Arthur added. "What I want is to just turn back everything! I wish I never had those feelings. I wish I never brought them up because I wouldn't feel this way and feel so stupid! I just…hate everything!" Ariadne's voice ended shakily and Arthur could see her eyes were glassy, possibly from oncoming tears. Ariadne looked down. "What, you want me now to answer you the way you expected me to. To say yes?" Arthur queried. "Just leave me alone! _Actually_ leave me alone Arthur! You don't and probably never will understand what I'm going through. After all, you were the one who said no" Arthur could see a single tear falling down Ariadne's cheek before they overheard a beeping. 

As soon as the timer went off, they woke up to reality. Ariadne had yanked off the cord on her wrist and stormed out nearing to tears. Arthur and Cobb watched her leave. Arthur stayed in position on the chair but Cobb had stood up pulling the cord off his wrist. He remained silent until he looked at Arthur. "What the hell was that all about?" Cobb inquired. Arthur simply stared up at Cobb not sharing a word. "I recommend you settle whatever is going on between you and Ariadne or else, you might want to rethink about the area of fluent co-operation" Cobb walked away and Arthur stayed in place taking in what had happened. He sighed heavily and put his head back against the chair. Arthur had no idea how to deal with this disturbance that had come between him and Ariadne and now that it was affecting work relations. Even worse, it was no exposed to Cobb. Everything was going off balance for Arthur.


	6. Moving on

**Chapter 6. Moving on**

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><p><strong>Author note:<strong>

Yay! The fun and interesting part has come in. Woo! I think you will enjoy this guys!

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><p>After Ariadne stormed out, the tears just flowed from her eyes. She kept rubbing her eyes to clear her vision but it was just an endless supply of tears. She exited the warehouse through the side entrance where along the stretching wall, stood crates. Ariadne sat on one of the crates and sobbed into her hands that covered her face. She was an emotional mess today. She's actually been a mess since she found out Arthur's answer. Why was she so upset over this? She just couldn't let it go. After a few minutes, Ariadne's phone rang. She sniffed and got it out of her pocket and saw the one name of the person she really wanted to talk to: Tom. <p>

She pressed the button to answer it. "Hey" Ariadne unsteadily greeted.  
>"Hey…what's wrong? You don't sound good" Tom inquired.<br>"Oh yeah, I've just been…really emotional today. I don't know why"  
>It was silence until Tom inserted "Is it the same reason why you came crying to the apartment last Wednesday night?"<br>Ariadne paused. "About that…"  
>"Look, it's alright. We don't need to acknowledge what happened that night. Just come over to the apartment now. Let's talk"<br>"I'd really appreciate that"  
>"Alright, see you later"<br>"See you" Ariadne hung up and wiped her eyes. She was lucky to have a friend like Tom. 

Tom: a 28 year old man that was an aspiring architect moved to Paris when he was 23 in hope to pursue a career boost. He enrolled into university for a four year course to gain a master's degree and on his 3rd year, he met Ariadne (21) who was in her first year. They became classmates and friends as Tom assisted her in learning even after he graduated. They soon enough became roommates when Tom graduated. What Ariadne didn't know was that Tom had quite the hopeless romantic history. He actually moved to Paris after breaking up with a girl that he 'dated' for about a year and a third. After learning the hard way, Tom made sure try and not get romantically involved with girls at first sight. In this case, he made sure that it was only friendship that he expressed towards Ariadne. 

Ariadne started walking towards the street away from the warehouse. She then caught a taxi towards her apartment. After paying, she headed up the stairs of the flat and reached room 249. She knocked while still looking down in gloom. As soon as the door opened, she edged forward and buried her face in the chest of her roommate who in surprised delay wrapped his arms around Ariadne. "Hey, shhh. It's okay" Tom comforted. He could hear Ariadne's muffled sobs but he kept stroking her back consolingly. He walked her over to the couch and she continued crying as her hands covered her face. Tom sat on the table in front of her rubbing her arms. Finally, Ariadne composed herself. 

"I'm sorry. It's been the 5th time I've cried in a week since that Wednesday" Ariadne sniffed. She shakily breathed in then out. Tom remained silent still in front of her. "Come on, spit it out" Tom had straightened his back up awaiting Ariadne's reply. "Spit what out?" Ariadne questioned. "What are you crying over? You never told me last Wednesday. You just kept crying and then…you know" Tom drifted off at the end of the sentence. "I don't want to talk about it. It's just so stupid" Ariadne responded. "Then stop crying if it's so stupid" Tom simplified. "I will in due time. It's just…"Ariadne looked down not ending the sentence. "Well then tell me what it's all about. Tell me what the problem is. I'm not your roommate or friend for nothing" Tom insisted. "Fine. It's just…about this guy I work with. Basically, I read into something between him and me then the consequences resulted into me becoming a mess like I am currently" Ariadne explained. "Who is this guy? I'd gladly punch him in the face for you" Tom defended. "No. It's okay. He didn't entirely do anything bad to me. I mean, what he did, I guess he had the right to. I just…I just think I'm over-reacting" Ariadne dismissed. "Then _please_ stop crying" Tom repeated. Ariadne's red eyes met up with Tom's sweet and concerned eyes. "I know this is the first time I've seen you cry even during these past 4 years but, I don't want to see any more. Okay?" Tom declared. Ariadne nodded but her mouth quivered as if she was about to cry again. Tom moved off the table to lean towards Ariadne and hug her. She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck while his arms stretched to her back near her waist. After a few moments, they pulled away. Their cheeks brushed against each other and their mouths were less than inches away from joining. It suddenly reminded them of what happened last Wednesday night. 

Ariadne gulped as Tom sat back down on the table. "Look, you mentioned earlier, about what happened last Wednesday night: I'm really sorry if it's made you feel…uncomfortable around me. I guess I was just really impulsive" Tom shook his head. "Oh no, I'm not uncomfortable at all. I knew you were really upset. I'm actually…the opposite of uncomfortable" Ariadne wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion at Tom's reply. He cleared a strand of hair that had fallen over her face and pushed it back behind her ear. "It got me thinking. As much as I reacted that night differently, I now know what I truly feel about it…and I hope you feel the same as well" Tom revealed. Ariadne gazed at Tom wondering where he was going with this.

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><p>Meanwhile, Arthur remained in the warehouse under Cobb's punishment. Arthur had to go through continuous activities involving Yusuf and Eames which was about team work and co-operation. Arthur was very annoyed that he had to go through nearly a week of having to work with them. Plus, he had to track down Ariadne wondering where she was. She hadn't come back for during that week following that distressing exit after their session. Arthur's routine for that week was to stay in his office till midday tracking Ariadne and trying to work on the designs then joining Yusuf and Eames in a team scenario session. After about 30 minutes, he'd go back into his office doing some more paperwork then trying to call Ariadne once more. Arthur truly hated it. Cobb had come in one afternoon knocking and checking up on Arthur. "Any sign?" Cobb asked. Arthur shook his head. Cobb sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry. She's been ignoring me I guess. It won't help if it's just me trying to get in contact with her" Arthur asserted. "Well that's the thing. It's your fault that she's missing work so it's your responsibility to bring her back. If she isn't back by Tuesday, we've lost nearly a whole week of architectural work and that is pinned on you" Cobb threatened. Arthur watched Cobb leave angrily. Arthur was trying his best. He really was. <p>

It soon became Monday which was another morning for Arthur to look on the design blue prints. He resorted to simply calling Ariadne because he gave up searching address or email details. Once he heard that "the person you are calling is currently unavailable" message, he hung up and rubbed his forehead. He then joined Eames and Yusuf yet again for another team scenario exercise. After the 30 minutes, he woke up in disinterest and pulled the cord off his wrist. He was about to make his way back to his office before he heard Eames exclaim "Ariadne! Finally decided to join us" 

Arthur walked back to the warehouse opening to see Ariadne in a new uniform of clothing and with a smile on her face. "Why dressed so fancy?" Eames enquired. "You will find out later but yes, I'm finally back" Ariadne retorted. Cobb had walked into the warehouse opening through the hallway leading to his office. "Ariadne, you're finally here" Cobb commented. Ariadne nodded in response. "You might want to head back to working on the designs. Arthur can't keep trying to work on them" Cobb had pointed to Arthur who was just a bit further from the group. As soon as Ariadne looked over to Arthur, he was anticipating the change of expression. Oddly enough, she still smiles. "Thanks for filling in then Arthur" Ariadne thanked. Everyone soon enough left to go do their own business but Ariadne stays looking at files on the table next to the briefcase. Arthur made his way towards her to test whether this was a charade she was playing in front of everyone. 

"Hey" Arthur greeted. Ariadne turned towards him and greeted back. It was silence between them before Arthur asked the question he was burning to ask. "Where have you been for the past week?" Ariadne paused. "I was at my apartment with my roommate and it was just some serious thinking and discussion that happened over there" Ariadne responded. "I'm sorry for upsetting you. I really am" Arthur apologized. "Oh no, it's okay. All is forgiven and forgotten" Ariadne looked back down to the files while Arthur stayed looking at her still trying to figure if she was keeping the act up or was genuinely fine. "I'm actually glad that you answered me honestly about being romantically involved with me. It somewhat made me see clearer and we have both moved on" Ariadne gleamed. Arthur slowly started finding this change of heart satisfying but peculiar. He didn't know a week could suddenly change someone's mood. "That's… great Ariadne. That's good to know" Arthur countered. Ariadne smiled in response. "Well, like you said, we've moved on. Both of us. This is great development" Arthur continued. "Oh! Maybe we could all go out" Ariadne suggested. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What?" Ariadne looked back as if her previous statement wasn't odd at all. "Well, I'm assuming you're seeing someone after what you said. In actual fact, I'm seeing someone. He's actually coming today to work with us. He's an architect as well"

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><p><strong>Story note:<strong>

You will find out what happened "That Wednesday night" in another different story. It's just part of my plan so the content will be put elsewhere. It's for another idea but anyway. I think you guys know already what may have happened.

Plus, the age difference between Tom and Ariadne is 4 years. Just an FYI...


	7. The New Recruit

**7. The new recruit**

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><p><strong>Author note:<strong>

Hi again. Hooray! I've reached double digit reviews so thank you to the regular readers or followers or enjoyers of this story. It's going to start getting very interesting now with Tom. There will be a whole lot of angst. Anyway, enjoy!

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><p>Arthur's expression froze for a moment after hearing that statement. "Whoa, wait- <em>who<em> did you say was coming?" Arthur enquired. "He's a…close friend of mine and I've lived with him in Paris. We went to the same university and we are roommates as well" Ariadne shared. "And you suddenly bring him in out of nowhere?" Arthur questioned. "Look, he isn't just an ordinary friend or architect at the most. I brought him for a reason" Ariadne countered. "He sounds like one though since you've just brought him in now. Did you think that Cobb or the others would approve of this?" Arthur continued. "I will run it by them when Tom arrives. I guess it'll be a job interview for him. If they allow him, he gets the job. If not, then he doesn't get the job. Why are you being so argumentative about this? I thought you were my friend"

Ariadne for the first time felt very satisfied saying that. The tables had turned since all of a sudden, Arthur felt a bit irritated by hearing that. Although, it was only because of how irrational Ariadne was to him at the moment. She just comes back to work feeling fine and happy, as if their fight never happened and she brings in a guy he or the others have never heard of and who is possibly more than a friend to Ariadne but Arthur made sure to not focus on that point. "Well, as your _friend_ I'm only looking out and stopping you from making stupid decisions" Arthur sternly responded. They stared intently at each other. "I can make my own decisions Arthur and especially now, I can do them with no inner distraction" That statement was very questionable for the both of them. They stayed silent looking at each other again knowing that the bitterness between them was building up again. "If you're really so concerned, I'm going to go talk to Cobb now about Tom. And the answer whether Tom will work with us or not can be found out later today" Ariadne persisted. She then walked past Arthur towards the hallway leading to Cobb's office. Arthur's hand tensed as he closed it tightly then opened it repeatedly. The tension still remained between him and Ariadne while the question remained about this new architect named Tom.

It was soon the afternoon and everyone had gathered in the main warehouse meeting area to Ariadne's instruction. They had all taken a seat waiting for further mention from Ariadne. Arthur was tapping his foot waiting to see if this 'new architect' guy was up to the task. Honestly though, he was slightly inquisitive about the true connection between him and Ariadne. He was most definitely not jealous but just curious. After all, he didn't know this guy and at least finally, Ariadne had stopped being bitter. Soon enough, she stepped in front of them announcing about the new addition.

"Thank you guys for gathering. I appreciate it and so does Tom" Ariadne introduced. Most of them had confused reactions due to never hearing of this "Tom". Arthur kept a straight face. Ariadne expected the confused reactions so she continued. "If you're wondering who Tom is, he's an older friend of mine. He finished architecture 2 years ago and supported me through learning. That's why, I thought he would be competent enough to join us and help me especially with our designs and all. I've actually taught him about the dream world even though we were supposed to keep the whole business of the dream world secret and private. Anyway, at least he has some knowledge of our work field. So if you would all welcome: Tom" She extended her arm and in walked a young man with an appearance that nearly made Arthur fall off his chair. Arthur was stunned. He looked at the others wondering if they were seeing what he was seeing. Tom seemed to have the spitting image of Arthur. The suit and thicker gelled hair emphasized this image as well. Then again, he wasn't _exactly_ like Arthur. The young man smiled cheerfully at the group and greeted them heading towards Ariadne. Suddenly, the two of them entered their own world murmuring to each other. "You didn't need to wear a suit" Ariadne mentioned. "Well, you told me it was a professional job so I made sure to look sophisticated" Tom whispered. "That's ridiculous" Ariadne gestured with her hands as she smiled.

Arthur observed closely of the body language going on between them. As soon as Ariadne's hand was held by Tom shyly after she gestured with it, Arthur started closely examining. There was the lack of personal space between them, the holding of hands, the one sly move of his hand near her waist and the sweet smiles and looks that were exchanged between them. Arthur's top lip twitched in agitation as these moments of body language happened numerous times. Yet again, he was only prying about them, not jealous.

He glanced occasionally at the other guys to see their reactions to Tom. Yusuf and Cobb were simply listening or watching but it seemed that Eames was reacting the same way as Arthur. When Tom had grabbed Ariadne's hand secretly, Eames had raised an eyebrow since he caught sight of it. Yet, it seemed that no one was obviously seeing that one singular thing about Tom that Arthur could see. He kept quiet as Cobb most of the time interviewed Tom about work related things yet they were very light and general. Arthur could list a dozen critical questions that should be asked to Tom. He was expecting Cobb to be saying those types of questions but it turned out that he wasn't. Finally, Arthur took action.

"I have a question" Arthur interjected. Ariadne's half smile disappeared when she saw that Arthur had something to say. Tom was just looking at Arthur waiting for the question. Have you had any other experience in this field of job? What are your qualifications and capabilities for this job?" Arthur interrogated. Tom gulped in apprehension while Ariadne glared at Arthur knowing he was going to try and tear down Tom. "Um…I must admit that I'm entirely new to this field of job and that serves as an underestimation for me but there's always room for learning. With some time and experience especially in the dream world, I'll be the same level of capability as Ariadne. I guess I can be kept as a rookie for the group…especially under Ariadne's…care" Tom answered. Arthur sternly looked at him before facing the others and their reactions. Cobb and Yusuf looked impressed but Arthur had to roll his eyes as he saw Eames raise his eyebrow again but much higher than last time. It may have been because of a dirty thought. "Good answer. I like the way you think" Cobb complimented as he nodded. "Thanks" Tom replied.

The guys moved from their chairs to the hallway leading to the smaller meeting room. They entered it and sat down to give a decision on whether Tom was good to be part of the team. "Okay, reading over the subject's information: Tom Hansen; born on the 24th of August 1983 is a 28 year old architect graduate who gained a major through his 4 year course. Originally from USA working at a card design business, he moved to Paris in 2006 to pursue a career boost in architecture" Cobb summarized. "How did he go from card making to architecture? They are two very different things" Yusuf stated. Eames and Cobb nodded in agreement but Arthur stayed leaned back on his chair with a straight face. He was finding it rather implausible that the guys were having a positive outlook on Tom. Arthur was very much expecting them to react the same way as he was.

"So, what do we think of Tom? Is it a yes or no?" Cobb started. "He's an alright fellow I guess. As Ariadne said, he seems competent and ambitious. Maybe for _more_ than a job" Eames answered. Arthur was getting sick and tired of Eames' dirty nature. He quietly groaned as he heard Eames' implication of Tom with Ariadne. "I think we could use another architect. Just so we're assured of environmental control in the dream and the workload will be balanced between the two of them" Yusuf added. "I find his attitude to be very enthusiastic and he seems to be getting along well with Ariadne and he's rather friendly" Cobb deduced. Arthur thought to himself about Tom. It'd have to wait and see how much he learned from Ariadne in the dream world and he wasn't sure about his real architectural ability. There was one thing though that Arthur had to pick on: Tom was too optimistic for his liking. Arthur came to the conclusion that as much as Tom looked the same as him, he was very contrastive in personality. That didn't mean that Arthur was pessimistic. He was just realistic while Tom was the slight opposite. Eames interrupted his thoughts after he called Arthur's name.

"Arthur? It's a bit odd for you to be quiet and not contributing to the discussion" Eames commented. Arthur looked from each person in the room realizing they were all taking notice of him now. Arthur cleared his throat. "Well, I'm…simply listening. Is there a problem with that?" Arthur returned. "No, I was just concerned" Eames mentioned. They all looked away from Arthur and faced each other again to talk. Arthur sat upright though and decided to actually bring in something that he's been wondering about. "Actually, I have something to contribute" The guys stopped in mid conversation to look at Arthur. "Did any of you…see anything particular about Tom's…physicality or appearance?" Arthur asked. They blinked then squinted their eyes as they were trying to interpret what Arthur meant. Arthur shifted his glance to each person while fidgeting with his hands. Finally, Yusuf broke the silence. "Well, he is trying to fit in with the uniform code amongst you guys if that's what you mean. Other than that, I don't know" Yusuf reacted. Cobb and Eames just nodded since they didn't as such have an answer thought up. Arthur scratched his head trying to properly get his question across. How could they not notice that Tom looked like him? Or was it maybe only him who could see it? "Okay. But I was more focusing on the appearance of…his face. Was there anything particularly evident that you could see?" Arthur settled. The three men were finding Arthur's behaviour and questions quite peculiar but tried to not think too much of it. They glanced at each other trying to speculate a response. "I'm sorry Arthur but we don't understand what you mean. Anyway, we need to get a move on with a vote about Tom" Cobb proclaimed. Eames and Yusuf were thankful for not having to give a direct answer so they faced back to Cobb. Arthur sighed in exasperation and leaned back into his chair. "Now, we need to all agree on our vote or else it will further stretch the discussion of voting for Tom and there will need to be a provided reason or debate about Tom if there are one or two people with different answers. So, let's begin making final decisions" Cobb clarified. He pointed to Eames: "Yes. He seems good to be on the team". Cobb next pointed to Yusuf: "Yes and for the same reason". "I say yes as well. He's a promising worker" Cobb concluded then he finally pointed to Arthur. He simply shifted his eyes' vision to each person who was anticipating his answer. It was two choices: he could say yes to make things easier for the group and Ariadne or he could defy and say no. Yet, it would spark a whole whirlwind of commotion and drama. It was up to him.

Back at the warehouse, Tom was sitting on a table with Ariadne and was anxiously flexing his hand. "Hey, you're going to be alright. You're going to get in" Ariadne comforted. "How can you be sure? I feel like an outsider being here and you heard that guy asking about my qualifications. This is such a professional job and I'm nervous as hell. I've never had a proper architectural job and so this is my first one. There's no way I'm getting in" Tom revealed. "Hey-"Ariadne grabbed his flexing hand to try and calm him down. "I brought you here for a reason and I know that Cobb will see that reason so there's no need to be so freaked out. Okay?" Tom gazed back at Ariadne then squeezed her hand. "Thanks"

The guys suddenly returned from the meeting. Eames, Yusuf and Arthur took their seats while Cobb remained standing. "It's been very interesting having you here Tom. Especially since I've never had people come to request being part of the job. It's normally me who has to find the recruits. Anyway, looking over your work and qualifications as an actual architect is quite excellent. I really do think you'd be able to apply well to the dream world since it's just on an extended level. As you mentioned, with some personal sessions of training with Ariadne and some of the others, you'll be able to acquire great experience in this job field. Architects are very well needed in this business" Cobb elaborated. Tom nodded and kept looking at Cobb awaiting his verdict. Arthur watched austerely with his arms folded. He couldn't help but notice Tom and Ariadne's hand being joined together. "We all put forth our votes and joined them together to get the result. So, I'd just like to say Tom-" Cobb neared towards him and extended his hand. "Welcome aboard"

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><p><strong>Story note:<strong>

The time setting is just 2011 since 2010 was their first mission and their movie. Also, the birthday of Tom is just made up by me but it corresponds to when I watched Inception and long story short: it was a legendary day. (Not just because of the movie)


	8. More than expected

**8. More than expected**

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><p><strong>Author note:<strong>

I AM SO SORRY PEOPLE! I'm sorry to keep you waiting for a month but the past couple of weeks was jam-packed with exams and assignments and all that. So here is finally Chapter 8. I AM SO BEHIND! I promise you though, over holidays, I will try to update everyday during then so it will be 14 chapters uploaded during then. Woo! Well, enjoy!

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><p>Everything felt like off balance now. As soon as Tom shook Cobb's hand, it was official that the network of the group was going to possibly be messed up with the new addition. Arthur truly preferred the group with the normal members and now, Tom (In his opinion) was now intruding. Everyone gathered around Tom to welcome him into the group and Ariadne kept close by Tom in self achievement and success. Arthur was still not that happy with allowing Tom into the group so he disappeared from the happy atmosphere back to his office. <p>

Tom had started settling into the work environment for the next 3 days. All the others offered to assist him especially Ariadne so it was a light and happy tone around work. Arthur kept distance from this though as he sat alone in his office. He wanted things to go back to normal because things have changed on a big scale. As much as everyone was content and satisfied at the moment, he knew it was just a distraction phase. He felt like the only one with real sense but he had to remain silent to try and not cause commotion as he had already done so with Ariadne during that session and embarrassingly enough in front of Cobb. Arthur tried to not judge and jump to conclusions about Tom but there was just something about him that bothered Arthur. Could it have been his proclaimed skills as an architect? His possible past? His selection as the new and attention grabbing member? Or was it simply how he was in connection with Ariadne? 

He continued to work on files and research to keep his mind off things but had to leave to visit Cobb in his office. He walked along the hallway skim-reading the file until he looked up to what thought was like a paralleling mirror. Tom was marching along the hallway as well and he looked up to see Arthur as well. "Oh hi" Tom greeted. Arthur stopped in his tracks while Tom walked up to him. Tom was gleefully grinning and gathered from the conversation that Ariadne and Tom had on his first interview; he had given up the fake 'suits-wearing' image. Now, Tom's hair wasn't pushed back with gel and he was wearing a simple brown jumper vest with a plain long shirt underneath and pants. It was now questionable to Arthur if Tom's facial features were still similar. Tom just couldn't stop smiling while Arthur remained straight faced by nature. "Hi, I know you know my name because I'm the newbie here but I'm Tom again. I…wasn't able to catch your name though" Tom extended his hand towards Arthur. He glanced down at his hand then back up to Tom. Tom's grin had softened to a half smile as he was in slight panic of awkwardness at Arthur not shaking it. He was about to retrieve his hand but Arthur grabbed it in time. "I'm…Arthur" He half smiled as Tom went back to a wide grin in relief. "That's cool. Uh, what's your position or job here?" Tom asked. "I'm the pointman and I basically just research things" Arthur replied. Tom nodded and nervously chuckled. Arthur raised an eyebrow wondering if Tom generally had trouble in social communication. Tom had looked down at the floor still grinning but kept silent for a while. "Um, I'll be going…to Cobb's office now" Arthur remarked. "O-oh I'm sorry. I'm sorry for getting in your way" Tom put his back against the wall to provide a path for Arthur while he took a last glance at Tom. He walked past him heading to the end of the hallway. He finally realized that he may have possibly intimidated Tom. He found it quite pleasing considering that it made him have higher order. Also, in comparison to Tom, Arthur felt much superior to him through status, possibly dress code and maybe job matters. It was all judged already that Tom was just a weak, awkward new recruit but there was one thing Arthur didn't have that Tom had. 

He went to Cobb's office to drop off the document then walked back up the hallway to the warehouse opening. There he immediately saw Tom and Ariadne at a table nearby the briefcase that had been set up. They were sitting facing each other on opposite sides and it looked like Ariadne was explaining and helping Tom with some instructions. Arthur walked brusquely yet quietly in hope to sneak past the two of them but Tom's cheerfulness got the better of him. "Oh hey Arthur" Tom called. Arthur froze in his tracks and bit his lip and cringed before turning towards the two of them. "Hey…" Arthur faintly let out. Ariadne turned towards him and they held a gaze as he walked closer towards them. Arthur wasn't sure what to read from Ariadne's face. Her emotions had been everywhere that it was hard to tell what her exact feeling was. It was the same for Ariadne. She didn't even know what to feel towards Arthur now since knowing her personal situation with him and her personal involvement with Tom. It was a blank stare being exchanged between them which got interrupted by the oblivious Tom. "Are you doing much at the moment?" Tom asked. Ariadne looked back towards the table as Arthur cleared his throat and shifted his vision to Tom. "Not really. I was just going back to working in my office" Arthur answered. "Okay" Tom nodded. 

It remained silent after the brief exchange between Arthur and Tom. While Tom was staring towards the table, Arthur caught sight of Ariadne slightly fidgeting with his hands and keeping her head down. He had never felt this uncomfortable between people. Arthur couldn't stand the silence. "I'll let you two be then. I'm going back" Arthur started towards the hallway. "Alright, see you later" Tom returned. As Arthur was walking back, he heard Tom utter "What's wrong?" At that moment, Arthur turned his face towards them and saw Tom had grabbed Ariadne's hand. He picked up the pace and entered the hallway disappearing from them. As he sat down, he cleared his throat which had tensed up oddly enough while he was walking back. A particular idea and thought about Ariadne and Tom had entered his mind but he shook it off trying to get back to work. He started experiencing this every time for the entire week to follow.

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><p>From a hand touch to a smile, a gaze to a simple side by side stance, Arthur's body and mind randomly reacted. His hand balled into a fist or gripped something hard or his face twitched or immediately looked away. It was a wide variation but his mind kept having the same recurring thoughts and implication about the two of them. Why did they have to act so close and rub it in everyone's face? What exactly was <em>close<em>? Arthur convinced himself that he was just getting annoyed and it proved his argument about how Tom is a distraction for Ariadne and the work. Tom must be a mediocre architect due to all the "touchy-feely" business he's been continuously doing. Plus, why was he still trying to make conversation with Arthur when they both knew that they didn't exactly get along? It was what drove Arthur to isolate himself more than often from everyone and try to contain his thoughts in that small room of his. 

One day, Arthur was heading to his office again from a meeting with Yusuf and Eames to complete more paperwork. Yet, along the way at the warehouse space, he spotted Ariadne and Tom sedated next to the briefcase. Arthur peered around him hoping no one else would see that he was about to do. Arthur placed his papers on a table and pulled up a chair. He pulled a cord out and connected it to his wrist. It was driving him mad to continuously question everything about Tom. He wanted to see Tom's ability in the dream world but deep down inside, he just wanted and needed to see what personally was going on between Ariadne and Tom. 

As soon as he was under, he was dazzled by the vivid and beautiful sight of a big city. Arthur couldn't stop himself from muttering 'Whoa' under his breath. He strolled through the city seeing it with great features and bright colours. There were even actual sites showing that the city was under construction which was to correspond with Tom's training progress but past all of that, Tom's architectural ability surpassed Arthur's expectations. Arthur was completely incorrect. 

After what felt like 20 minutes of going through the city, he finally found Ariadne and Tom sitting on a green bench on a hill. He quietly moved towards them hiding behind a tree to pry on them again. "You know, all the guys seem to be real friendly" Tom commented. "Well that's good. It'd be bad if you were on a bad start with one of them" Ariadne responded. Tom paused wondering whether to confess a particular something. "Actually, I think I made a bad impression on one of the guys but it was only because I was trying to be friendly but it was so awkward between us" Tom admitted. Ariadne completely turned towards him in concern. "Were they mean or something?" Ariadne interrogated. "Well…they weren't mean. They just seemed really serious and dark and it kind of scared the crap out of me. I tried to remain cool but it was hard. They're not bullying me. I swear" Tom answered. "Are you just saying that to not sound pathetic or weak? Poor Tom can't make friends. Don't cry" Ariadne mocked. "Yea, whatever. Kind of bad coming from you but were you not crying over some guy before? Also, I still have no idea which guy was the one you were crying over" Tom mentioned. "I wasn't crying over them!" Ariadne tried to correct. "Yes you were! But then, ahem, I came to the rescue, you crybaby" Tom proudly proclaimed. Ariadne smiled. "Don't push it though" Ariadne stated. 

Arthur started to think for a moment that maybe they just had a platonic relationship. Their conversation was just about minor things and they kept laughing. He was thinking about leaving the dream now until he heard the ultimate line that grabbed his attention. "So, are we not allowed to…show ourselves during work hours?" Tom asked. "What are you talking about?" Ariadne looked back at Tom. "I mean… about us…together" Tom simplified. That's all that Arthur needed to hear to know the truth that Tom and Ariadne were more than friends. "I mean, personally I'm not that much into displaying… be together in public and I don't want them to think of a bad impression of you so…probably we should keep us on a low scale" Ariadne explained. Tom nodded. "That sucks" He added. "Why?" Ariadne inquired. "I don't think I could control myself from not making a display. It'll be too hard" Tom used a low, gruff voice while saying that to Ariadne. "Really? Well fine. You can…make a display. Just, don't do it around the other guys" she laughed. "Try and stop me" Tom was leaning in towards Ariadne and their lips met. That was definitely all that Arthur needed to see. He didn't understand why he was still watching them up to that point. He instantaneously walked away which led to a run then exited the dream. 

He opened his eyes and raised his head to look at the still sleeping Ariadne and Tom. He pulled the cord from his wrist and let it go back inside the case. He grabbed his papers and headed into his office. Before he could do anything, he stayed facing the wall taking in that Ariadne was truly happy with another man. He found it…good. It was the same for the fact that Tom exceeded many expectations or assumptions. Arthur swiveled his chair back to his desk and looked at the papers. Yet, he couldn't get the image of Tom and Ariadne out of his head. He simply kept trying to do work ignoring that he was in actual fact not feeling good about it. That he was: jealous.


	9. Envy and Agony

**9. Envy and Agony**

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><p><strong>Author note:<strong>

Here you go: this is going to be quite an angst filled chapter. Hope you enjoy!

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><p>Arthur kept rubbing his forehead continuously. He was trying to find serenity and balance in him but it was too hard. It was too hard due to the fact that some other guy was hanging close to Ariadne. No. He still wouldn't accept jealousy. He was still just… annoyed at Tom. What did Ariadne see in him? Either way, Tom and Ariadne continuously distracted him from work. If only they would just get out of his face because he couldn't just simply hide in his office anymore.<p>

Ever since Arthur had limited himself to a solitary working nature, some of the guys had took notice but it wasn't until another 2 weeks after Tom's first week of work that they were getting suspicious, worried and confused at Arthur working alone all the time. After an enquiry to Cobb made by Eames, Arthur was forced to work alongside with others more which meant he was spending less time in his hide-away of an office. What made it worse for Arthur was that he had to work in the warehouse space which was where on the other side, Tom worked and usually alongside with Ariadne. The 'annoyance' being built up inside Arthur was a challenge to contain and hide.

His office seemed to move to the warehouse as a desk was set up with some of Arthur's belongings starting on one particular day. The other guys set it up to try and keep an eye on Arthur just so he is working in a more open environment. Arthur had to work with these circumstances especially with the one particular thing was that he was working opposite a mirror: Tom's 'office' was placed on the other side of the warehouse where he peacefully worked unless he was accompanied by Ariadne. Tom slowly started to become childish to Arthur as he repetitively greeted with a cheerful tone which was too much for Arthur to handle every single day. His state of mind was just composed up of bother, despite and hate. It was truly a hellhole for him.

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><p>One particular day, Ariadne was at Tom's desk looking over files or possibly just there to interact. Arthur occasionally glanced across at the two of them while working on his laptop. It was surprising for them to not be as touchy-feely as last time but gathering from the last conversation that Arthur eavesdropped on; they truly were swearing to not make a display of their relationship. But Arthur had a sharp eye or was it maybe a bitter, misjudging observational eye? He caught little moments of them but they were very small moments. His mind was playing tricks on him and amplified what the interaction between them expressed. From a side glance to an arm brush, the lack of space to a shoulder touch, Arthur's mind just kept yelling out about how they were together. Arthur eventually attempted to stop looking at them and work on the documents. He suddenly could hear murmurs coming from their direction.<p>

Arthur could hear faintly what they were talking about. It seemed that Tom was getting tempted to make a display but Ariadne didn't want to do so since Arthur was right in front of them. "Come on, while no one is looking" Tom whispered. "There's still someone here" Ariadne replied. Arthur had to glance upwards quickly. As he did so, he made eye contact with Ariadne in that brief moment before he looked back at his laptop screen. When he heard Tom yet again mention about wanting a 'special reward' he swiftly got up and walked towards the hallway carrying his laptop. Ariadne took notice and watched him leave feeling a bit slack towards him. Arthur went into his office and placed his laptop on the table. He was taking big breaths trying to calm him down from the irritation and blow off some steam. Little did he know, it was going to get a lot worse for him.

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><p>The next day, Arthur was moved back again to the table opposite Tom and Ariadne who were looking over the designs. He clenched his fist as it was hanging over the arm of the chair. He kept flexing it as he flipped through files on the table. Another bothersome thing suddenly moved towards him. It was none other than the jovial Eames. "Why so tense Arthur?" Eames asked. Arthur sighed in frustration as he placed his hand on forehead. "Move it Eames, I don't need your mockery right now" Arthur ordered. "I know something's wrong. I'm not dumb" Eames continued. Arthur swiveled his chair towards Eames "Well, I wish you were smart enough to know that <em>I <em>don't need your observations right now" Arthur sternly affronted. "Geez, calm down. No wonder you snapped your pen. Anger problems much" Eames countered. "What are you talking about?" He looked at Eames with confusion who simply gestured with his head towards Arthur's left hand. There he saw his broken pen with spilled blue ink. He must've snapped it when he clenched his hand together. Good thing he kept his hand over the arm of the chair or blue ink would've been all over his suit. Arthur groaned in disgust as his shook his hand of the inky mess. "I suggest you break a pencil next time. It's less messy" Eames mentioned as he handed a cloth to Arthur. He wiped his hands clean then tossed it near the edge of his table. He turned back to his files to attempt reading over them again. "You're welcome" Eames walked away leaving Arthur to stay in his pit of anger. Arthur did feel as if he was a bit too angry at Eames. He thought to thank him but he thought Eames had left already. Arthur was wrong. Eames glided his chair quietly behind Arthur and expressed his curiosity.

"Don't you think that Tom and Ariadne aren't exactly _friends_?_" _Arthur looked behind him at Eames in a half startled, half annoyed manner. "Do you mind?" Arthur demanded. "I'm sorry but I can't disturb ol' Yusuf or Cobb since they're busy but someone needs to listen to my rambles" Eames responded. "And you don't think _I'm_ busy?" Arthur enquired. "Well you're just going through some silly files. Don't worry, I'll entertain" Eames remarked. Arthur sighed and turned back to his files. "I mean look at them. I smell some romance going on between them. 'Older friend' my ass. They're more than that." Eames judged. Arthur rubbed his forehead trying to calm down. "Look at them. Seriously, look at them right now" Eames pointed his hand towards Ariadne and Tom in the next room and Arthur saw his hand in the corner of his eye. "Look. _Look_!" Arthur slapped Eames' hand down angrily. "Ow!" Eames exclaimed. He shook his hand back and forth to try and make the searing pain on his hand stop. "Learn to mind your own business Eames. There's no need to act like some nosy kid" Arthur stated. Eames frowned as he continued to shake his hand back and forth. "But seriously, look at them" Eames repeated. Arthur looked upwards to the ceiling and groaned in irritation. "Just shut up Eames. Piss off" Arthur looked back down focusing again on the files. "Fine then I'll make you do it myself"

Before Arthur knew it, Eames pulled his head upwards to look straight at Tom and Ariadne. Arthur avoided glancing at them two again because the sight he saw just then, enraged him. Tom and Ariadne were together looking at the designs but in a very close position. Ariadne was right in front of Tom as he looked over her shoulder. Tom had his arms stretched and his hands placed on the table enclosing the space he and Ariadne shared. Arthur froze for a moment as his emotions silently built up inside him until he pulled Eames' hand off his head. He swiveled his chair towards Eames and death stared at him. "If you _ever_ do that again, I swear it won't just be your hand I'll be whacking." Arthur threatened. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone now. Geez" Eames walked away as Arthur watched him.

Arthur's emotions were boiling inside of him. His hands clenched into fists and he was breathing heavy. As he turned back to the desk, he caught a glance again of Tom and Ariadne. Tom's left hand had moved closer towards Ariadne and was making its way towards her waist. Arthur immediately got up and stormed out of the warehouse. Ariadne and Tom took no notice. Arthur went outside and placed his hand on his head while breathing heavily. This was crazy. He had lost his will to remain cool and collected. He sat on the crates that were scattered along the wall and leaned forward with his head down. He tried to regain his normal breathing pattern and calm down. He couldn't understand why he had just reacted like that. It was the worst case of reaction that had ever happened to him. Why was it so? He closed his eyes trying to recover more and could feel his head and heart throbbing hard. Feeling each beat, he began to realize.

Tom wasn't messing up the system of the group. He was in actual fact making it a lot better. Despite all the dark thoughts, infuriation and hate filling Arthur's head, he could see everyone enjoying Tom's company and happy aura. The one thing that Tom was supposedly messing up was Arthur's entire being. With the whole mirroring image of the two of them, Arthur was becoming more like the opposite of Tom. He used to be neutral but he was verging onto the negative, dark, angry contrastive side. It would explain his reaction just then but what explains it even more is the fact that Tom has a particular thing that Arthur doesn't. The one thing that he thinks he now regrets rejecting: Ariadne.


	10. Ultimate Paradox

**10. Ultimate Paradox**

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><p><strong>Author note:<strong>

Hi again! I originally had difficulty of thinking a way to write this particular chapter but then I had a stroke of genius or a brainwave and realized what I could write. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Interesting chapters are coming ahead. Woo!

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><p>Arthur (just like the previous day) spent the next couple of weeks to follow suffering. Seeing the sight of Tom and Ariadne together just…did something to him. He couldn't bear to look at them two together, let alone Tom. Arthur was allowed to isolate himself again from the group in his office to contain his emotions but one day, the young woman that was making him feel this way, decided to show up and talk to him like nothing was wrong.<p>

"Hey Arthur" He had his head on the desk along with his arms. He opened his eyes at the sound of her voice which had died out of resentment from the tension that was between them much earlier. Actually, the resentment didn't die out. It just passed onto Arthur. He lifted his head to see a content Ariadne. She smiled at him unaware to Arthur's bitterness. "Hi. I was thinking while doing some papers that I hadn't done a particular something in a while then I looked at your office and figured, it was our paradox sessions I was missing" Ariadne illustrated. Arthur sat upwards and held his grimace. "I thought your boyfriend would be teaching you or something" He turned around on his chair and opened a cabin of files.

Ariadne's face abruptly changed to a bewildered yet a faintly panicked expression. No one knew, right? About her and Tom? They on purpose didn't want to show their relationship. She said so as well. Who found out then? Her mind was filled with alarm and confusion. Arthur could sense due to the delayed moment of silence before she answered sensibly "You mean Tom? Well actually, I'm teaching him. I also taught him paradox techniques and he found them as genius moves. Of course I gave you credit. It was just a turning of tables since he actually helped me and taught me things during my 3rd year of university. It is just what true friends do for each other I guess" As Arthur straightened his back up and grabbed the bundle of papers, he could sense the obvious clarification made by Ariadne to defend that she wasn't with Tom but Arthur knew what he heard and saw in that dream the other day. He just let it slide though and let Ariadne be as he commented "Hm, great" he turned back around with the papers and dropped them hard on the desk. Ariadne was relieved that Arthur went along with her response but knew something wrong was going on with him which probably distracted him from further questioning about her and Tom. Ariadne has seen him glance occasionally at her and Tom together and she could see Arthur reacting slightly bitterly time after time. "Are you okay? You seem a bit… tense and pissed off" Ariadne observed. "Oh I have never felt finer" Arthur remarked. Ariadne ignored his sarcasm and let him be. She sighed before deciding to address the issue between them possibly contributing to Arthur's mood.

"Look, I know what…happened between us has backtracked some things and that includes work and…personal relations but I want you to know that all is forgiven and forgotten. On my side I know for sure. But I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way. If it's because of Tom, I only brought him because I've known him for a while and I've seen him at work with architecture so I knew he was eligible to join the mission. He's one of my closest friends and a great team mate. Speaking of, I really do miss us working together…especially as friends" Arthur just shifted his eyes upwards at Ariadne while not moving a single rigid muscle in his body as he stayed in his chair. For the first time, he felt a slight reaction at the mention of the word 'friends' from Ariadne. He didn't show it though as he remained silent looking at her. "Please Arthur. I just…it's not the same with you during work. Not the same as old times. I mean, yes I have Tom but there's just not the balance of your…existence in the system of our group" Ariadne continued. This whole speech from Ariadne was on a borderline of ignorant bullshit excuses and genuine sorrow to Arthur. Or maybe, it was just that he couldn't process what Ariadne was saying or meaning due to his own personal demons of emotions and interpretations being built up in his mind. Either way, Arthur had to make a choice to either play along with Ariadne or cause commotion again by rejecting her. He had dropped his vision downwards and he stared a mid-air contemplating. Ariadne quietly watched him before he inhaled and exhaled loudly to utter "Fine. We'll do a session"

Ariadne's face lit up with a grin as Arthur struggled to half smile. "I'll set up everything outside in the warehouse space" She got up but before heading through the door, she simply thanked him. Arthur nodded then sighed in exasperation thinking he was going to regret doing this and lose even more control. He didn't even know what technique to show her but then…it came clear. Arthur stood up with some sense of determination and went out the door of his office with the perfect technique to teach.

Arthur soon entered the warehouse space to see Ariadne with everything set up. It had been a long time since he had done this with her. Times were so much simpler then when they were just co-workers but it felt like such a harsh journey till now. At least he was coping with bitterness better than she was before. Ariadne kept her smile as she saw Arthur walk closer towards the chairs. He couldn't help but notice Tom's desk on the other side of the warehouse was empty. "Where's Tom?" Arthur hoarsely asked. "He's in a meeting with the other guys" Ariadne responded. Arthur made his way to the chair and rolled up his sleeve. "It's actually his first meeting and even alone so I'm really proud of him. As friends should be" Ariadne persisted. Arthur raised his eyebrows then dropped them quickly in annoyance at the mention of Tom and how she was still trying to keep the lie about their romantic involvement. Soon, they were both prepared and wired on. "Are you ready?" Ariadne couldn't hide her eagerness. Arthur just simply nodded with a straight face that kept hidden his intent plan. They both got into a comfortable situation in their chairs and closed their eyes.

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><p>Ariadne found herself in a completely new environment. A city in broad daylight and colour…it almost seemed similar to Tom's. "What happened to the white room and the hallway?" Ariadne enquired. Arthur kept walking and couldn't help but haughtily smile to himself. "This technique requires things to be kicked up a notch" Arthur answered. Ariadne was half curious, half unsure about what Arthur meant. They walked through streets until they reached a wide park showing the buildings at a distance. "For today's technique…it is quite special" Arthur commented. It was most definitely special for him. Ariadne stared at Arthur with anticipation. "So, what is it? Does it involve gravity? Illusions?" Ariadne listed. "With all of this-"He gestured around in a circle at the buildings and sites. "I want you to collapse it all"<p>

Ariadne was taken by slight surprise by the request. "What, as in make the dream collapse?" Ariadne didn't think this was a particular paradox dream technique so it truly perplexed her at today's teaching involving collapsing dreams. "I guess so" Arthur simplified. "But isn't it kind of easy to do? Haven't I done it before? Even unintentionally?" Ariadne questioned. Arthur strolled a few steps forward. "I don't know, have you?" He countered. Ariadne exchanged a puzzled look and so, Arthur had just kicked off his plan for this session.

"You have to stop and think about it. Some people do say it's easy. Some people say it isn't because you have to take it from the start. So, you think you've just created or entered a decent, great maybe even perfect dream and enjoying it. But soon enough, let time take over, problems and mishaps will appear" Arthur had started circling around Ariadne as she listened. She was still confused though but it was Arthur's clever idea to use the dream collapsing technique: something so simple to paradoxically fit as a metaphor. A metaphor for what? Ariadne was still listening to Arthur to even think about figuring it out. "You have your applied changes to the environment that maybe you try to adapt to" Suddenly the grass ground elevates to reveal a sort of cone or pyramid shape that Arthur stands 3 steps above Ariadne. She climbs up to one step below Arthur but he walks slowly around which she follows. "Next you have some changes to the environment that are very different to what you wanted but you try to not let it get to you" Ariadne starts to see everything turn to different colours. The sky became a mauve colour from blue. The sun was white from a yellowish colour. The ground was an orangey brown and the buildings skyline was slightly distorted as the firm straight shape outlines of the buildings changed to have curves.

"Before you know it, imperfections and flaws show that you can't help but pick on and you realize that trying to ignore or cope with the odd changes was just a pure distraction to try and stay in the dream" Ariadne sees some of the buildings crumble and fall and the ground starts to form lumps showing unevenness. "After all these drastic changes and progress, the projections just come on after the other" As soon as Arthur stated those words, she could see oncoming projections. Ariadne starts to become concerned as the crowd of projections draw nearer. "Of course you need control, patience and passion to maintain a dream but sometimes, it gets out of hand. You could try and fix it but-"He pauses looking at the projections whose faces they could all see clearly now. "The alternative way in majority terms is that…it has to collapse" The projections are now grabbing Arthur and Ariadne. "How do I collapse it?" Ariadne yells. Arthur doesn't answer as the ground caves in and Ariadne wakes up.

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><p>"It happens naturally" He replies. Ariadne stays staring at him trying to take in his deep analysis of collapsing dreams but she still hadn't caught onto Arthur's metaphor. "The dream can be collapsed by oneself or someone else, the other person or… it just happens itself" Arthur remarked. Ariadne had sat up straight still looking at Arthur. "Under all that pressure and through those stages from complete proclaimed perfection or decency to a flawed illusion, dreams will result in collapsing. It's just when you've found the right control and passion for a dream that it will remain" Arthur concluded. He caught gaze with Ariadne and he could see she was purely speechless yet maybe baffled. He wondered if she could read between the lines and see the hidden message of his metaphor but if she did know it, it was only for her to take into account. The fact that romantic relationships are like dreams. They are first seen great and well but over time, it will be affected with changes and problems that will come after the other. At chance, they may or may not end or collapse. It just depends on the commitment, attention, passion and control in that relationship. Arthur would know from personal experience.<p>

Ariadne sat still in silence. "To answer your first question back in there, yes. You probably have collapsed a dream or two. If you did so unintentionally? That seems quite quick in cognitive matters. It isn't important though how you do it. What is important though is the knowledge of whether to do it and the timing of when to collapse it. It's just for personal benefit or maybe for someone else's" Arthur added. Ariadne's mind was fuzzy at this intricate explanation about the dream collapsing but still hadn't caught onto Arthur's metaphor. She was still thinking heavily on Arthur's explanation to do so. He stood up like nothing was wrong or different and was going to head back to his office. He was so caught up with explaining his hidden metaphor that he hadn't noticed that Tom had come around the corner of the hallway to his desk.

"Oh hey Arthur" He stopped in his tracks and that irritating chirpy voice of Tom snapped Arthur out of his thoughts. Arthur moved his jaw side to side vigorously before he turned around with a half smile towards Tom. He nodded in Tom's direction. "How did it go?" Ariadne stood up and she herself had been snapped out of her deep serious thoughts when she heard Tom. "It actually went great. They liked the designs and I get to show everyone around afterwards some time soon. And it's all thanks to you" Ariadne was surprised as Tom lifted her up slightly as he hugged her tightly. She reacted in delay by putting her arms around his neck and patting him on the back. Arthur rolled his eyes and looked at the wall towards his left away from them. Even though it wasn't a kiss and it was more like a platonic gesture, Arthur really just didn't like them less than an inch apart. They broke apart and turned towards Cobb who had entered. "Great work Tom. I really enjoyed your visions of your designs. It was quite well done" Cobb praised. "Thanks" Tom returned. "Well, since you've done well on creating the entire design, I suggest that you start working as well on shortcuts or most importantly environmental defense" Cobb suggested. "Alright. I guess it'll be more work together Ariadne" Tom grinned at Ariadne which Arthur watched as well before turning away again but he caught glance with Cobb who briefly looked at him then towards Tom. "Actually, I know another person you are yet to work with and who knows this sort of field inside out" Cobb revealed. "No" Arthur suddenly realized that things were going to get a lot worse. "You sir?" Tom directed towards Cobb. "No. That'll be more with combat and projections on my side but it's actually the person to your very left" Tom looked over to Arthur. "Oh! That's great. It'll be fun working together" Tom grinned again while Arthur had to retain a grimace from spreading on his face. It could not be more of a hellhole.


	11. Divergent Parallels

**11. Divergent Parallels**

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><p><strong>Author note:<br>**

Hey guys! Sorry for another long wait. Finally behold the next chapter! Word of mention: it jumps back and forth a bit so hopefully you don't get too confused. Just look out for the lines in between and all that. Haha ENJOY GUYS! Love you all!

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><p>Here he was: having to spend two FULL work sessions with Tom. One was in the dream world. One was in the warehouse. Yet both of them were similar to Arthur as he had to go through the same unbearable yet questionable experience alone with Tom. On the continuous point and notion of Arthur and Tom being mirrored doubles; it was disappearing slowly in Arthur's head as the proclaimed balance of parallels between them was becoming unequal. It was still a note of their similar appearance but it was starting to not matter as Tom's overly optimistic, happy nature was stretching the fact of how much he was the opposite of Arthur. It annoyed the hell out of him but there was nothing much he could do but swallow it and work properly. Or simply just sort out the self conflicting war that was happening in his mind.<p>

Both sessions started in parallel ways. Either one of them had gotten to the warehouse space earlier than the other in the morning and prepared everything. They'd set up the required equipment for the session and wait for the other to come from around the corner of the hallway.

For the dream work session: Arthur assembled the chairs around the briefcase and adjusted the timer and sedatives. He took out a small notepad that he kept in his inside jacket pocket. Arthur flipped through multiple pages until he found a checklist he wrote the night before. He felt the urge to create a list to help him stay on track with order and management. After all, he was going to need considering his personal situation. There were 2 main points that included: 1. Teach mind defense techniques and 2. Teach to make shortcuts. There was one particular dot point at the bottom which suited more as a mental note that seemed most important to him as he underlined it sharply: 3. Be patient. Don't get angry.

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><p>As for the warehouse session: Tom first entered. He decided to pull some desks closer together with oppositely positioned chairs so he and Arthur could work across from each other. He sorted through the mess of papers on his desk to find which ones he would need to use today. It was a short moment before Arthur marched in with some documents of his own in his hand. Tom turned around to greet in a friendly manner. "Good morning" Arthur returned a polite half smile and nodded. "You can take a seat at the table. I'll be joining soon when I find those papers" Arthur sat down and placed the documents on the table. He watched Tom move around his desk gathering assorted sheets in one hand and the other. Arthur decided to get a head start on work and opened up the documents and had a pen in hand. The sound of a flat thud and papers scattering everywhere disturbed the silence. Arthur looked back up and saw Tom put the papers he had already on the set up table then returned to the mess that fell on the floor.<p>

"Do you need help?" It was the least Arthur could do to not act or seem like an aloof asshole. He joined Tom collecting the various papers. "You can just put it here" He made a pile of the collected papers just by his desk. Tom was around the area of the far spread papers. Arthur got all the papers much closer where he soon discovered a notepad face down on the ground. He picked it up to see on the other side a very detailed pencil sketch of intersecting lines. Arthur couldn't help but flip through quickly to see other sketches which seemed to be a timeline of inspiring ideas for the designs. Arthur saw Tom's shadow come over him as he walked back to the desk. Arthur stood up at same height to Tom and handed the notepad. "I'm sorry if I wasn't meant to –"Tom shook his head. "Oh no. That's fine. This is just my…sketchpad I guess and it's okay for you to look" Tom took the notepad back and placed the remaining papers on the pile. "They're actually pretty good" Arthur had to honestly admit it because it was true. He had never seen such intricate and inspirational ideas sketched out. Tom humbly nodded and smiled. "Thanks"

Arthur was realizing that he was now somewhat creating a liking towards Tom. Wait, this couldn't be possible. This just referred back to the process of thoughts coming through yesterday during the dream session.

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><p>As soon as Tom and Arthur connected themselves to the briefcase, they both entered again Tom's (admittedly) vast and grand metropolis wonderland of his designs. Arthur still made deliberate negative thoughts about Tom's designs but he really did have a strong, great mind especially fit for an architect. It then hit Arthur. Everything about Tom - despite all the hate and animus thoughts inflicted on him by Arthur – was in fact …right. Nothing was wrong with him and Arthur knew that. Tom hadn't set a foot wrong since he started and he was going along well with the whole mission. It was simply Arthur's altered (and perhaps self biased) opinions that made Arthur want to hate Tom despite his good image and reputation. It was now unraveling for Arthur about Tom. Could he even dare say that he was in fact <em>jealous<em> of Tom? No! He couldn't. No wonder Tom and Ariadne were together. No! He couldn't afford to think like this. Arthur was mentally shaking himself free of those types of thoughts and had to get back to the matter at hand. He and Tom had not uttered one word as they headed towards what Tom said was the main center of the city. Tom was a bit more forward leading the way while Arthur was lost in his thoughts. Arthur needed to get the job done and out of here as soon as possible because it could only be a matter of time that he loses it. He loses himself. He loses sheer control.

* * *

><p>Oh no, Arthur now realized that he thought and judged too soon. Thinking that he was finding Tom alright now and near acceptance of possible jealousy of him from yesterday all exited his head since now, he had to use all of his energy and self restraint to not tell off Tom. For what? For starting to talk and talk non-stop. If Arthur did tell him off, he tried to do so gently. He preferred it when Tom was just showing the designs but he always went off topic after every 5 minutes of work. Arthur had to keep nodding as if listening but rolled his eyes and tapped his foot in impatience waiting for Tom to shut up. "How long have you known Ariadne?" Tom asked. "For only a couple of months. That was when we were working on the first mission" Arthur answered. "What'd you think of her when you first met her?" Tom continued. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows as if pondering but in fact was caught off guard with this question. "Um, I thought she was alright I guess. She was… a promising architect. I sort of questioned her ability but she was bright and executed everything good." Arthur responded. Tom nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I've known Ariadne for about 5 years now. And your opinion was kind of the same thing I thought as well. I first met her when I was in my 3rd year and she was halfway through her 1st year" Tom was drawing up something as he said that sentence so luckily he didn't see Arthur roll his eyes again who was thinking "Oh no, here we go again"<p>

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><p>Tom and Arthur eventually made their way towards a pearly white monument building which led to some marble stairs and area which intersected in different directions. Tom broke the silence "And here we are: the center. You could say I based this area on a compass. The four stairs lead to the four different main directions and this right here is the actual very middle" Tom stood at an empty circle pronouncing the very center spot of the stairs. Arthur remained standing with a straight face showing how he was attempting to remain apathetic towards Tom. "Something is supposed to be made here but I haven't gotten to it yet" He walked off the circle slowly and shared a playful yet annoying glance towards Arthur. "It's for Ariadne" Arthur first nodded then rolled his eyes away from Tom's vision and scowled bitterly. How he loathed the repetitive mentioning, perhaps proud declaration of Tom's relationship with Ariadne. "You know what; we should get to work now" Arthur smacked the briefcase that he was carrying along the way on a bench and opened it.<p>

* * *

><p>Arthur was getting just as annoyed again back in the second session. Tom babbled on about his story with Ariadne while amazingly multi-tasking with the designs. Arthur had some papers he was reading over but couldn't ignore Tom's chattering. It was hard for him to focus. He caught phrases from Tom's story now and then such as 'Being best friends', 'Developing feelings for her' and 'Helping her with her career path' that it annoyed Arthur. Tom was like a non-stop talking machine. Arthur tapped his head in frustration just waiting for Tom to shut the hell up. He didn't until 20 minutes later. "Arthur?" Tom called. Arthur had his head placed back on the chair and had his eyes closed as if sleeping. "Arthur?" He raised his head in delayed response. "Yeah?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?" Arthur sat upright. "Uh yea, I was just thinking hard about something. Don't worry, I'm still listening" Tom nodded, went back to his drawings and progressed his story. Arthur dropped his head back against the chair again and quietly groaned.<p>

How long was he going to have to go through this torture? He has gently 'told off' Tom at least 5 times already before he began his tale of 'Ariadne and Tom: Forever in Love'. Arthur doesn't go to sleep easily but he wished he could just right now. He placed his elbows on the table and rubbed the temples of his head with both hands. It had been two hours that he's been with Tom and half of it was Tom's stupid love story and another quarter was of him talking random crap. Finally, he snapped.

"Ok!" Arthur slammed the table which frightened Tom. Tom had literally jumped in his seat and was looking at Arthur through startled, open eyes. "Ok," Arthur corrected calmly. "I'm sorry Tom. I do find your love story somewhat interesting but we need to get back to work" Arthur continued. "But I am. I've been multi-tasking" Tom added with cheer. Arthur inhaled and clenched his hand together. He just wanted to smack that smile off Tom's face which would also make him shut up. But he had to control himself from these…much preferred yet dark thoughts and suggestions. Such an example of a thought happened during the first session.

* * *

><p>Tom's attention was caught by Arthur and the briefcase. He didn't originally see it but was now wondering what was in it. He curiously strolled towards Arthur and when he was merely 3 feet away from him, Arthur swiftly turned around with a gun in his hand pointed at Tom. He couldn't help but flinch at the threatening gesture made by Arthur. Meanwhile, he couldn't help but smugly bring the corner of his mouth upwards at Tom's fright. It refreshed Arthur's mind and gave him a sense of empowerment. He continued to advance further keeping his gun aimed at Tom. He also started moving backwards away from Arthur.<p>

"Why are you pointing a gun at me?" Arthur could hear a hint of shakiness in Tom's voice. "This will be commonly happening in a dream. I would be representing a projection and you are yourself. It's a compromising situation we have here" Arthur kept stepping forward as Tom was walking backwards. "It sure is" Tom remarked. The fact that Tom even brought a slight sense of cheerfulness to this opposite situation made Arthur's grip on the gun tighten for a moment but with restrain, he kept his forefinger straight and away from the trigger. It would've been an instant that he impulsively pulls the trigger and that would send a message straight away that Arthur truly disliked Tom. Instead, he relaxed his grip again and put the subtle frustration into words. "Well, think Tom. How can you get out of this type of situation because there will be lots of these in the actual mission" Tom gulped in nervousness. "I have to say, I really like your…straight in, hands on teaching style" Tom had to stop walking as he hit the middle railing of one of the stairs. Arthur stopped as well keeping his intimidating position directed at Tom. It was no time for humor. Or maybe it was. "I do what I can. It may not necessarily be Cobb's preference or even Ariadne's type but I like it when things are…very straight-forward" Arthur was enjoying this expelling of built up frustration at Tom.

It was a few more moments more that they circled around with the gun in between them. Arthur was cackling to himself in his mind and Tom was quite freaked out. He finally bumped into a railing pole which showed he could not be more cornered or vulnerable in his situation. Yet, Arthur knew that it was finishing time for this tough act. Arthur was even feeling sorry for how pathetic Tom was acting at the moment. "Do you even know how to fire a gun?" He questioned. Tom shook his head vigorously. Arthur sighed in exasperation quietly and shot at the ground to remove the already positioned bullet he (as evil as it sounds) was hoping to fire directly at a particular something. In the corner of his eye, he saw Tom slightly jump at the bang of the gun. Arthur threw the gun at him to catch and walked back to the suitcase. "I guess we should get started on some fire arms training in order to understand dream defenses. After all, we're going to be under for 2 hours and that gives us –" "24 hours. A whole day" Tom had interjected since he knew about the dream/real time equation. Arthur nodded in agreement and grabbed a gun from the briefcase. It was going to be a _long_ session for them.

* * *

><p>Another parallel of both sessions was that it could be said that they constructively were able to work. Arthur and Tom succeeded in dream environment defenses and created shortcuts through his designs. All Arthur had to do was put aside some of his fury towards Tom and simply stick to business. For the three hours that Tom and Arthur worked through in the warehouse session, Tom set and noted the shortcuts of his designs and had recorded all the mind defense techniques he learnt from Arthur. The two of them didn't even see Ariadne come through during these sessions which entirely meant that it was the two of them working together during those sessions.<p>

But that was one final thing to note: both sessions didn't end up the same way. It was especially during the second session that Arthur couldn't contain himself anymore. He lost control. Back in the first session, he had retained restraint against Tom even through the 'whole day' that they were together and Ariadne only appeared in the warehouse by Tom's side in front of Arthur but it wasn't the same for the second. Tom was still conversing briskly as Arthur's patience was starting to run low. Before any of them knew it, through the dark voices and thoughts flooding Arthur's mind to desire the feeling of wanting to pull that trigger in the dream world or sabotage Tom's environment, Arthur had swiftly stood up and threw his fist at Tom which collided with his cheekbone. It was an adrenaline feeling that as soon as time and everything felt normal to Arthur, he felt his fist throbbing slightly and he saw Tom on the floor realizing this was to come with a mix of feelings and consequences.


	12. Inferno

**12. Inferno**

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><p><strong>AN**

I am so sorry people! This has been long overdue so I am sorry. I guess I was on writer's block as I had some difficulty trying to write this and fit it. Anyway, enjoy I guess and I'm sorry again. Heads up: big cliffhanger at the end which will be answered at least within the few days as to make up for the lack of updating, I've already prewritten the next chapter so huzzah! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE! I'm so sorry.

By the way, here's a quote that applies well to this chapter.

"Love sees sharply, hatred sees even more sharp, but jealousy sees the sharpest for it is love and hate at the same time." – Arab Proverb

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><p>"What the hell Arthur!" Ariadne's frustration echoed along the hallways. Arthur wasn't sorry. He kept walking towards his room as Ariadne followed him expecting an apology. "What happened to him? Why is his face injured like that?" Ariadne questioned. Arthur kept silent. He unlocked the door to his room which allowed Ariadne to finally catch up with him.<p>

"Give me a damn answer!" Ariadne demanded. He entered his room leaving it open for Ariadne to come in and commence her anger. Arthur sat down at his office desk still holding a poker face which kept making Ariadne furious. "Okay" Ariadne calmed down. "I'm guessing you're not replying to my angry rants so can I at least ask one decent question?" Ariadne continued. She saw him raise an eyebrow which was one conveyance of answer. "Alright" She swung his office chair around to face her keeping hold of the arms of the chair. "Tell me what you think of Tom. Your _honest_ opinion" Ariadne interrogated. He looked straight into her eyes secretly enjoying this position he was in. Finally, Arthur answered. "Firstly, I'm not even sorry. Secondly, you might want to take a seat because I have a _long_ honest opinion on him" Ariadne let go of the arms of the chair and sat down on the foot of his bed. "Typical" she scoffed. Arthur turned his chair fully towards her and began his opinion on Tom.

"Alright, let's start." Ariadne folded her arms while waiting. "Let's refer back to something that you told me. Whatever happened to being into mature guys? Tom is such a head-in-the-clouds person; he might as well be a child. Plus, he won't shut up, ever! He just keeps rambling on about love and crap. It seems like it's a distraction point that takes him away from the focus of being an architect. Why'd you bring him here then? He just serves as some distraction to you and this… older guy friend crap? Yea, it's a total way to hide it from the others and you think your romance is safe just in the dream world? Think again" Ariadne held a disgusted, outraged expression and interrupted "Excuse me! Why the hell are you tackling about that? And how dare you invade our privacy? Which dream did you see us? No wonder you kept acting bitterly whenever Tom and I were close by"

That was when it hit Ariadne. "Wait, you were jealous!" Arthur rolled his eyes at the accusation. He still wanted to deny it right in front of her. "Do you really think I would stoop so low like that? By being jealous? Of course not. Not everything is about you Ariadne" Yet, it was about her. Everything _was_ about her. No matter what through Arthur's bitterness. "Well you're stooping quite low right now after punching Tom and lying to my face right now" Ariadne countered. "I am not jealous Ariadne. I'm over that sort of stuff already. I'm just heavily concerned about you due to the fact that Tom is incompetent" Arthur added. "Stop saying that about him. He is the sweetest guy here and he doesn't deserve this pack of insults coming from you" Ariadne had to scoff again in exasperation.

"Well that's the thing, he has to learn to be better then maybe I'll back off and stop pointing out his flaws. It's so easy for you to support him just because he's your boyfriend or best friend or whatever other relation you guys have" Arthur contended. "I don't hear Eames or Cobb complaining about him so obviously, it's just you who is creating all this hate about him and that explains now why you punched him. You _are_ jealous!" Ariadne pointed at him angrily. "Give me one good reason why I would be" Arthur was trying so hard to evade this allegation.

Ariadne stood up and started pacing the floor from the far wall towards Arthur. "There's plenty Arthur. Firstly, Tom is the new guy of the group and he's receiving all this attention and reward through his genuine good work" Arthur shook his head. "I don't need attention Ariadne and I've been the new guy before just like Tom and it's a place that I'm pretty indifferent about" That was one argument shot down but it was only the beginning for Ariadne. "Oh sure. Well, there's also the fact that he's a really nice guy and trying his best around here –" Arthur scowled "Are you saying that I don't do my best around here or I'm not nice?" Ariadne shrugged her shoulders. "Would you call punching Tom in the face nice? And you still haven't answered my question or more like my demand of why the hell you punched him in the face"

Arthur stood up and turned to face the other way. Ariadne's anger was starting to seriously harass him. He couldn't exactly tell straight up of why he punched Tom as it would unravel continuous points and denunciations from Ariadne. He couldn't afford that. Especially jealousy. It was such a pitiful sentiment especially to him but then again, it had been what felt like forever that he'd gone through this process involving jealousy. It was also something to note that it did involve another girl – if he could dare to say it – that he was in love with. If it all corresponded with that fact, what did it make Ariadne in terms of the whole process?

It seemed that Arthur had frozen while staring at the other side away from Ariadne. "Arthur? I'm still waiting and I'm not leaving until I get an answer" That was it. He needed her to get out of here or away from him before he would lose control and make history repeat itself. Arthur faced her again with a neutral expression and came up with an ultimate contradictive cover up. "It was an accident. I'm sorry and I've told Tom I'm sorry as well" Ariadne's face expressed utter disbelief. "No it wasn't! And you said so yourself that you're not even sorry. Stop lying" He knew it himself that it was completely fabricated but he was only trying to retain his sanity and control. Yet, Ariadne could see straight through him which was not helping. It wasn't going to finish in a simple snap. This argument was going to stretch and verge onto deeper territories. "Just admit it okay? Admit the truth" Ariadne stated. "I _am _admitting the truth. It was an accident. The whole thing was an accident. It just…suddenly happened and I saw him on the floor" There were some aspects of what Arthur proclaimed occurred that were true.

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><p>It was a spontaneous action that happened between them. Arthur stood in shock realizing so many things while Tom was almost slumped on the ground. Arthur had no idea what to do and wondered if any others saw that he committed the crime. It was an ultimate release of frustration but he didn't intend for such a drastic action. He had desires but never thought he would actually pull it.<p>

Tom was slowly getting up and sat upright. Arthur was contemplating decision to either uncomfortably help him up or run away like a criminal. He remained frozen on the spot as Tom grunted in pain getting up. "I am so sorry" Those words escaped Arthur's mouth in a panic. Tom had looked up with a half frightful, half perplexed expression at Arthur but to truth, the only reason why Arthur had uttered those words was in his rightful attitude of knowing and respecting honor and integrity especially to another person but he had just violated that moral by snapping at Tom.

Arthur had made one small step towards Tom but he slightly flinched. "Oh no, it's alright. It's fine. I'm fine. Just…I'm fine. It was an accident and-" He was gesturing in a hurry as if dismissing the complication of this confronting situation or also in a way for Arthur to back away from him. Arthur flexed his hand which was still containing the impact of the hit. There was a noticeable red swelled spot just below his eye of where Arthur's fist made direct contact with. It was slightly horrifying to see the sight and it was dawning on Arthur so much that this was going to be hard to clarify everything.

Things felt to become worst as Eames entered the scene. "Hello again guys. How is working – oh whoa! What happened here?" Eames had caught immediate sight of Tom and his bruised face. Arthur remained silent switching vision towards each person. Tom had finally gotten up with assistance of the table and nervously laughed. "I just had a nasty tumble but I'm fine" Arthur still couldn't comprehend why Tom was…possibly excusing and covering up what he had done. "Do you need to go to hospital or something?" Eames asked. "Uh…I don't know. Is it bad?" Tom hadn't seen yet what the damage was and barely looked at Arthur. "I would say so. Don't you reckon Arthur?" He reacted in delay and gazed at Tom again who still didn't avert his vision that was focused on Eames. Arthur simply nodded while Eames was oblivious to the situation. "Well, let's go to the hospital then. Arthur, tell Cobb and the others we'll be back soon" Tom decided to go with Eames so they headed towards the exit of the warehouse.

Arthur was still dazed on what was happening. He didn't know whether to feel at panic and in trouble or to be satisfied and calm due to the two way outcomes of this action he pulled. Arthur only knew though that he would have to confront the consequence soon enough as it all laid on how Tom was going to deal with it. Let alone, when it would be discovered. It was some stress for Arthur and he was verging onto territory of regret.

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><p>"It was only then when I went to the hospital that I found out what happened to Tom. When I asked him what happened, he was kind of vague on details but I knew one thing: you were the last person with him before he had to go to the hospital" Ariadne brought the story full circle. Arthur couldn't elaborate any further on how the story went but he was holding a facade on how he truly thought about the situation. On some terms, he felt satisfied after committing the release and stood for his opinions against Tom but it felt all to make an opposing stand against Ariadne while Tom had to suffer the hit. It was self-conflicting and debatable for Arthur on what his true intention was after that action. Overall though, it was a huge mess up in flames.<p>

"For the love of –" Arthur glimpsed back at Ariadne who is was in utter frustration. "I know you did it Arthur and I just need to know and have confessed of why you did it. What is it that you have against Tom? We need to…sort out this business because I know what happened between us has been put behind me but I'm not so sure about you" Ariadne clarified. Arthur folded his arms. "I snapped. Okay. I was really stressed and unfortunately Tom was within range. Too bad Eames wasn't there in that range so everything would've been a lot better" Silence lingered for a moment which Arthur felt relieved and surprised thinking that it had wrapped things up for their discussing. He thought too soon.

"Why though? Why were you stressed?" Arthur inhaled deeply trying to keep patient as Ariadne kept cascading with questions like an interrogation. He needed all of this to stop but it didn't as the bicker continued for another half an hour with repetitive mentions of jealousy, Tom and work. It was a vicious cycle of arguments but Ariadne and Arthur kept their opposing sides up and straight. With her trying to break Arthur in terms of the truth and him attempting to stand his ground and honest thoughts about Tom to Ariadne, it seemed to be endless of the fiery rage being shared between them.

Soon enough, Arthur couldn't take any more of Ariadne's rage. He had lost the ability to keep his straight face and to keep control. He stood up and wanted to leave the room. "Where do you think you're going!" Ariadne stood up as well. "There's no way you're leaving now. After all, you're the one who started all of this. The whole fire!" Ariadne explained. He put his hand to his head as if he was getting a headache. "Alright!" Arthur blasted. "You want your apology? Fine! I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I punched Tom in the face. I'm sorry that he's a love-sick little child. I'm sorry that he is not a devoted architect. I'm sorry that he's just a plain distraction. A distraction for you. A distraction for me due to the fact it makes me deny everything and a distraction that you chose him over me" Arthur ranted. He breathed in and out to calm down. Ariadne stood there taking in all that he just said. She had so many ways to react to him. She could've slapped him, she could've pointed out it was him who said no to her or she could've walked out. No, the one thing she did do which she couldn't explain was kiss him.


	13. Mistake

**13. Mistake**

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><p><strong>AN**

Hey again! I must say that we are close to the finish. 5 more chapters including this one guys. Yet again, I give more thanks and kudos to readers. I think I've morphed some facts about some stuff so sorry in advance. Okay, this is my best chapter (In my opinion) because I wrote this while I was on a high roll. (I actually wrote this a couple of months ago but had to add and adjust it just now) Enjoy! BTW You guys excited for The Dark Knight Rises?

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><p>Ariadne tossed and turned in her sleep. While sleeping, wild thoughts and images flashed in her mind. A complex nightmare that depicted her mistake. The action that she couldn't explain she did. It started this whole mistake. It kept replaying no matter what but frankly, it was something she wanted to forget. It was something she regretted. After that one little action, that one kiss, it felt like everything relapsed and altered entirely. In this dream, it showed different alternatives and scenarios to follow in response of that act. This was a same type of prognosis that she brought into her mind that corresponded well with the primary situation that started this type of interaction with Arthur. From a rejection to a correction. A question to an automatic instigation of such an adulterous deed.<p>

However, what really happened back in reality wasn't necessarily as extreme or outrageous but it articulated the same sense captured in all those other scenarios. Ariadne was at conflict with herself. She couldn't run away like she did last night. It was something that consumed her mind and opened up many things to think over. This was the worst circumstance Ariadne had faced. The way that all of this was a mistake was firstly and obviously how she had just kissed another guy. Even though it didn't venture into any other dangerous or scandalous business, it felt entirely wrong especially involving the fact that it had some rash sentiment to it. On the other account of it being a mistake concerning Arthur; it seemed that he had just made things complicated over again. What almost appeared perfect or normal was corrupted or upset. How ironic it was that it was in the similar way that Ariadne had in the beginning. Implied feelings and sentiments. She didn't expect it to reciprocate through Arthur and how he made an absolute revelation but if only it was made much earlier before Ariadne turned to Tom. That was it. Ariadne thought she was simply with Tom but now she was truly caught between the two guys.

It sounds almost naïve and juvenile for her to switch the tables of being involved with another guy. Especially with the fact that this was the same guy that she felt affected by nearly a month ago or so. It was nearly a whole cliché at the fact it involved her best friend and the type of guy that was Arthur. It should be settled already though. Ariadne thought she had closed the door and moved on after she finally got together with Tom but last night was something to question it all over again. She was caught in the middle and had to figure things out for sure of what her own feelings would agree to.

Ariadne had woken up a moment after but stayed prone in her bed contemplating over this whole situation. It was major conflict and had dissolved her mindset into this petty mess. It was only when she realized while turning her head towards the right and saw the clock that she had a real life and job to get to. Ariadne had woken up later than usual and knew she was going to be late no matter what distinct work business the group was performing. She rapidly got up and changed to her work attire in a rush. Ariadne had to make sure this complex matter wouldn't get the better of her.

She peeked around the door then snuck outside and closed the door. Ariadne tried to preen herself and prepared for what she was going to have to deal with through this whole day. She walked along the hallway then braced herself before turning the corner to the main warehouse. Cobb looked up from a table holding the silver briefcase. "You're late" He huskily commented. Ariadne walked towards him finding four sedated bodies of her team-mates including Arthur and Tom. "I was up last night. I'm sorry" Ariadne apologized. Cobb looked back down in disinterest at some papers. "I'll give you a warning this time. Only because you brought Tom" Cobb remarked. Ariadne looked at Tom filled with complete guilt. "He's just showing the guys the designs. I'm monitoring. You can join them if you want to" Cobb carried on. Ariadne pulled a chair and coincidentally, she placed it in the space between Tom and Arthur. She pulled a cord from the briefcase as Cobb was getting in position to sedate her. "I must admit, he's pretty talented. A good kid. Like you." Cobb interjected. She laid on the chair thinking "I'm not a good person at all" She closed her eyes and inhaled. She felt the pinch of the sedative and exhaled. Then, she was standing in a whole city with beautiful high rising skyscrapers. This was the work of the man she felt untruthful to.

Ariadne strolled through the city trying to remember the map of the place that Tom had drawn but she was getting distracted again at the splendor and detail of this place. The sun was shining, everything was in vivid color. This whole place described Tom. He was bright and happy. He was structural. He was open about himself. Tom completely contrasted Arthur. She imagined if Arthur had created a place. A place only from his imagination and creation. The city he created back in the dream collapsing training session isn't accepted as his since it was just an imitation of Tom's own work. Arthur's place would be a dark, empty city. Only a few bland buildings. The rest destroyed. That whole place expresses Arthur's private and alone nature, mystery and the darkness in him. Ariadne shuddered at that thought. Why'd she spend the night with him when she would be so much happier to be waking up next to Tom? She didn't understand. Thinking of them soon led her to the possible center of the city where she spotted her team-mates.

She went down the stairs past an open monument building. As Ariadne went down, she saw a marble statue that made her heart skip a beat. She moved closer to it and noticed its placing. It was in the middle of the four stairs leading to different entrances of the street. This was possibly the middle of the maze. The heart of the maze. She focused back on the statue and it made her think back of a memory.

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><p>Tom and Ariadne were looking over the horizon sitting against the roof window. They normally came up here early in the morning to see the sun exactly halfway over the horizon. It was always a beautiful sight. "I'm going to miss being able to come here every day" Tom admitted. "Are you ready for your last day?" Ariadne asked. Tom sighed. "I have no idea. I mean, I've spent 5 and a half years in this place and now I don't know what to do afterwards. I mean, I moved here because the girl of my dreams broke up with me back in America and I was thinking if I moved here, I could get a move on with my career" Ariadne stared at him. "You've never told me that" Tom looked back. "There you go. You know my hopeless romantic history now" Tom laughed. "What was her name?" Ariadne questioned. "Summer and funnily enough, I dated a girl named Autumn as well" Ariadne sniggered at his response. "You have a great taste in girls. That is, girls with weird names" Both of them laughed. "Yeah, I think I do" Tom joked. He glanced at Ariadne.<p>

After a few moments and they finally settled down, Ariadne reached into her bag. "Look, I know it's your birthday coming up this Sunday but I have an exam in the morning so I won't be able to say happy birthday the first thing in the morning. So, I made this to say it in advance" She opened up her hand to give a small box to him. "You remembered?" He took the box. "You didn't have to" Tom insisted. "Open it" Ariadne suggested. He opened it and the object inside was wrapped in cloth. "Why'd you have to wrap it?" Tom examined. "I guess for it to not be scratched" Ariadne replied. He took it out of the box and pulled the cloth away. It was a golden knight chess piece the size of 2.5 inches. He held it in his hand then looked to Ariadne. "Is it supposed to be a metaphor or something?" Tom inquired. "Yeah. I wanted to make you something so I sort of made this and it matches you because you always find a different way to go forward or move. No matter what. For example, when you failed your fourth year semester 1 exam, you remained hopeful and look at you now: you're finishing with a master's degree. Plus, the very example of you moving to try and forget about this Summer girl. You always move forward or you find a different and non-ordinary way to get forward" Ariadne explained. Tom smiled. "Thanks"

He put the knight in the box and in his pocket. The moment was nice. They looked over the horizon once more. "There you go, it's exactly halfway. Now, do you remember the trick of how to tell it's exactly halfway?" Tom tested. "Due to the geographical placing of Paris, the sun during sunrise and sunset is as big as your hand placed landscape way, palm-towards-your-face and at an arm's length away. Covering one eye, if you use your first four fingers, you will be able to measure how high it has risen, therefore, finding out when it is halfway up" Ariadne quoted. They laughed again. "Of course I remember!" Ariadne exclaimed. "Well hasn't it come in handy?" Tom quizzed. "I guess it has" Ariadne answered. They gazed at the sunrise until Ariadne stood up. "Okay, it's time for us to go" Ariadne mentioned. Tom stood up as well. "Alright and hey, thanks for the knight piece" Tom acknowledged. They both walked together towards the exit of the roof. "And by the way, I don't move in an L formation" Tom joked.

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><p>Ariadne ran her hand against the marble knight. Though the stairs and ground were of black marble color, the knight statue was a golden color matching that knight chess piece. She was thinking so much of that memory and was mesmerized by the statue that she didn't notice Tom coming up the stairs. "Hey, there you are!" Tom greeted. Ariadne faced him still keeping touch of the statue. "You put this in the design?" Ariadne questioned. "Not only that" He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out the real knight piece. "I figured that there was more than one reason of why you covered this in cloth" Tom replied. This was one of the sweetest things he had done for her. "I was going to show you earlier but I couldn't find you yesterday evening or this morning. Where were you?" Tom added. Ariadne braced herself. "Tom, there's something I have to tell you" Ariadne began. "Yeah?" Tom placed his totem in his pocket then looked endearingly at her. She wanted to cry so much because she didn't want to be the one to shatter that happy, bright nature in him. She didn't know whether it helped or not that Eames broke in "Oh Ariadne darling. Decided to join us I see?" Yusuf came up the stairs as well then followed by <em>him<em>. She of course was referring to Arthur who she couldn't help but inflict anger at even though things weren't necessarily his fault. Nothing was but her mindset was completely baffled. "Uh yeah, she came around to see as well. Okay guys, so we came from the North East then ventured to the garden down there southwards so let's go…west" Tom replied. Eames, Yusuf and Arthur went down the stairs to Ariadne's right. Ariadne couldn't stop herself from virtually giving a glare to Arthur but he didn't see it nor made eye contact with her.

"Ari, you can tell me this something afterwards alright? Sorry but I have to direct these guys through" Tom quickly kissed her on the forehead and stepped away from her. He looked back at her though to see her serious and slightly saddened expression even though she was looking downwards. Tom half smiled and walked back towards her. Ariadne looked up and watched him come nearer. "Tom, I have to tell you that I –"She was cut off as Tom held her face and kissed her. It lasted for a sweet long moment but it felt wrong to Ariadne. She didn't deserve this affection especially since she committed that mistake. Tom pulled away and smiled at her. "I know what you were going to say and I've felt like I've had to say this for a long time as well but I have a sense you've known all along that … I love you too"

One thing after the other. Everything just kept hitting Ariadne and her situation was worsening. She knew she would be so happy if Tom had said that long before but now, it was after she had done the mistake. Everything felt incorrect and messed up. "Alright, I have to seriously go now. I'll see you later" Tom had started to walk away from Ariadne. "You know your way around anyway. Follow us if you want to" Tom shouted. Ariadne watched as his smile went around the corner. That's what exactly was going to happen after she got to telling him the truth. She sat down and slumped against the statue. It was a total problematic and emotional mess. She hated herself so much for this stupid mistake.


	14. Lies

**14. Lies**

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><p><strong>AN**

Hello again dear people! Sorry it took another lengthy period of time. Well, behold: the next chapter and on a side note, TDKR WAS AMAZING! Christ Nolan *bows down* It was completely beautiful and perfect I say. BTW I think I may have a slight idea for the next series of Batman movies (If or most likely when Mr Christopher Nolan starts on them), to complete the inception cast, the next series should involve JGL's character (John Blake), Ellen as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl and Leo as the Riddler and kaboom! Awesomesauce next series mate. Hopefully some sort of romantic interest can form between JGL and Ellen's characters and that'd be beautiful. Anyway, I might actually do a fic on it but that can be later. For now: this story. ENJOY!

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><p>After 4 hours (20 minutes in real time) of touring around the creation and design of Tom they exited the dream. It was firstly the guys of the group who left while Ariadne was still in the same spot contemplating over the messy position she had gotten into. She truly thought it wasn't possible or could never understand how this situation could happen or was existent. Yet, here she was: actually caught between two guys that captivated her directed feelings. Ariadne could say they were at equivalent measures but one felt right, one felt wrong. She had to make the wise choice before it would eat her alive.<p>

Ariadne was sitting in the same position against the sentimental statue that was placed by Tom. Confusion and guilt were infiltrating her thoughts and infusing such frustrated anger. It was a delay before she noticed Tom observing her from behind the wall he passed by earlier to leave. He slowly headed towards her direction and she saw the familiar joyful sight of faithful perfection: Tom. Her boyfriend. Her best friend. If she was told earlier before that Tom would end up being her boyfriend at this moment of time, she Ariadne would've been majorly skeptical at how it could work but she truly believed now she couldn't ask for any better. Tom was everything she could look for in a guy and he was of course deeply in love with her – as revealed by the three words he just uttered moments before. Yet, on all days, of all occurrences, events, acts, moments and overall timing, the words came out at the wrong point. It's not the fact that she felt afraid of those committing words but the fact she had to take into consideration her other dilemma.

She thought as well that she had confirmed to moving on far from Arthur and the proclaimed infatuation but now the sense of her slight desire of him had returned. With the valuable information of his honest feelings that still needed a further affirmation to distinguish whether it was an impulsive and desperate slip of words or if he was truly spilling his heart and emotions out. Something that she thought he never had or barely had since Arthur was such a private person and held up a high enough mask to avert attention or questions from people referring to his preferred disposition. But Ariadne had achieved it. She had exposed him. Vulnerable. Something that kept her concentration on him.

Ariadne snapped out of her stream of thoughts knowing that Tom was talking to her. He smiled cheerfully oblivious to Ariadne's dark secret. She tried to smile back as well but the uneasy and serious expression couldn't be shaken off easily. Tom sat down in front of her cross-legged gazing endearingly at her. "You still here? You must like this spot a lot then" He scanned the statue that Ariadne was sitting against feeling happy and proud of this certain detail he was able to put in the design. Tom's eyes fell back on Ariadne and his grin turned to a straight line of concern due to seeing her looking down at the ground. "Seriously, are you okay? You've seemed really uneasy since – well – I saw you here at first while showing the guys around. What's bothering you?" Tom leaned closer towards Ariadne observing her every move and emotion. She gulped before looking up and meeting his eyes. Tom's face expressed every amount of worry over her. His eyebrows had knitted closer together and his normal grin had altered to a straight line. Ariadne fidgeted with her hands while trying to retain the same gaze at Tom.

"Have I done something or made you uncomfortable at all? Was it –" Tom froze due to a possibility dawning on him. "Was it…what I said earlier?" It was Tom's turn now to look down in slight anguish. The only reason for him to do so was the fact that the possibility involved the very thought of his "heart-in-the-moment" and "pouring of his heart and emotions" action had resulted in making his girlfriend uncomfortable with the new leap and step in the relationship. Tom had been in this position too many times that it stung every time it revealed that he had made the ultimate deal breaker moment occur. It had always shattered the euphoria of his love and right now, his current love could be in jeopardy. His mind flooded with several thoughts thinking and (more) assuming that Ariadne wasn't ready. _Of course, she's so much younger and this could be one of her first ever relationships. God! How could I be so stupid and selfish?! _

Ariadne herself could see the possible processing that Tom was going through and felt she had been silent too long even if it was for a few seconds. She could just see Tom's face while it was directed downwards and his expression looked like he had been slapped in the face. Ariadne rushed to clear everything up before Tom could believe the worst. "No. No! Of course not! Tom –" He looked back up at the call. Ariadne could read some of the dread in his eyes which made her haste to soothe the escalation of worry in the situation. "Tom: you've done nothing wrong. You've done nothing to cause me discomfort and no, what you said earlier hasn't contributed either in any way to make me uncomfortable but…it was the sweetest thing anyone has said to me"

It seemed that the alarm had begun to decrease in Tom's expression as he nodded slowly in response. He shifted his vision to the side while thinking over something. Ariadne remained still watching Tom. It was quite quick of how the tables had turned in roles of who was trying to console who. Tom broke the silence but still didn't look at Ariadne. "Do you really mean it?" He wanted to make sure. Ariadne's mouth had quirked into a small smile in certain reply to try and continue to calm Tom. "Of course! You couldn't do anything wrong to me. I mean, I have my own personal problems that may get me down at times but no matter what, you are the constant thing that is able to brighten things up for me and –"

"Not that" Tom interrupted. He slowly turned his head to face Ariadne again. She seemed a bit perplexed at the abrupt disruption. "I mean, I get all that. But that last bit you said before. It was the sweetest thing anyone has said to you. So, what I said before, those words, you'd say the same thing…to me, right?" In his head, it appeared to be slightly desperate or clingy for him to ask but he wanted to know for certain that Ariadne was fine. It felt selfish again as well but he just needed to know. Tom needed to know if she was perfectly okay and didn't cross any line too fast.

Ariadne had paused at what felt like quite an intense and severe moment. Tom's eyes were gazing straight into her own and possible at a penetrating rate. She felt conscious of the seconds ticking by while her mind was trying to rush and create an appropriate answer. It was a simple answer she could say but the whole personal shenanigan she was going through was making it complex. Ariadne cleared her throat after what felt like an eternal pause and Tom's concentrated gaze looked to be slipping slowly into a form of dejected acceptance. "Tom…y-you know that…you know what you mean to me and those exact words as well that you said…I would apply them through my living and being with you because…" Ariadne felt like she was cringing internally so badly. She was in fact clenching her fist at frustration of difficulty with creating the wanted and needed answer to Tom. Whatever she was saying now proved to be conveying the other type of message that she didn't want and would make Tom continue to be in dismay.

"Look! Tom, what I'm trying to say is –" Ariadne had to stop mid-sentence while her heart contracted to the sight of pain that she swore had glazed over Tom's eyes. Already, he was accepting dejection, defeat and apprehension. Ariadne just focused on Tom feeling speechless at the state she had reduced him to. Again, she blamed it on this whole catastrophe she was battling to resolve herself with Tom and Arthur at either side and she couldn't quite choose anymore who she wanted to direct all her attention to. It was an entire distraction phase that was interrupting everything that would normally run smoothly. This exact exchange between her and Tom had run the other way to an austere position. It seemed like it couldn't retrieve to a normal placing anytime soon as Ariadne felt she'd simply make it worse.

Tom broke the silence again. "I know. I know exactly what you're trying to say and…it's fine. I get it. I understand what type of position you're in. It's hard and I'm sorry I put you there" His voice had become unsteady due to the agony that had settled sharply in his chest. He wasn't looking straight at Ariadne anymore but she wanted nothing more than to connect properly and clear everything. "That's not it! Tom, I'm sorry if it's not clear but I do…you know, I-I…love…" Another reason had popped into her head of why it was so hard to repeat the particular phrase that expressed her gratitude and every feeling towards Tom. Relevant again to her problem, it felt wrong and out of place to immediately say those words to him when another guy was in the picture concerning her confused feelings. Ariadne couldn't be sure. No, she definitely knew that she loved Tom because he was everything she could ask for. Arthur was just…someone added to the possible placing but he wasn't competing in place against Tom. Ariadne knew she loved Tom and he was nearest to first preference. But why was it so hard then to say those 3 words? If Arthur was but at the same time wasn't a target involving her feelings and Tom was standing before her pouring his heart for her and no one else, why couldn't she bring herself to confirm these inevitable emotions?

Lies. That was the reason why. It was in fact the chief reason overall. With her personal situation and feeling wrong or guilty, it all combined for the mega reason being the lingering set of lies. The lies of the struggle between her and Arthur which led to an infamous romantic moment which led to her currently continuing to avoid the precise complication. The lies were especially inflicted towards the one person she would never want to do such a thing to: Tom. He was one of the best people she knew and here she was making him suffer. It all made sense now but Ariadne still didn't want to spill the truth out. She felt that she couldn't be strong enough to.

The whole revelation filling her head was stabbed at with more torment as Tom coldly added "You can't even say those words straight out without sounding…almost hesitant" He spared a glance towards Ariadne before looking back down at the ground. Ariadne wanted to dismiss such horrible things and make Tom happy again but she knew things would just become worse. "Tom…don't say thing like that. I'm really sorry if I seem…out of place but I do have a lot on my mind and it's kind of messing with things that I normally would be able to do so easily. One of those things include saying that I love –" Ariadne was suddenly sure that she was just about to say the exact words that Tom was wanting to her but sadly at that moment, he ignored and interjected once more. Tom sighed. "Yes. I know. But I guess one of the many things on your mind is probably relevant to what we're talking about now. I know you're trying to make things fit to what I particularly wanted but can I just say that I'm fine with what you only are trying to put across. I've been in this position enough to understand completely. I can give you time or space or you can just forget I said such a thing" Tom had stood up and Ariadne scrambled to further attempt at fixing things back to when she was the only one being uneasy. Everything had gone out of place. Ariadne was once more going to continue on a ramble to correct everything for Tom but a dangerously applicable statement had come from Tom cutting her off completely and leaving her shocked still. "Ari, you don't have to lie for me to make me feel better"

At that, Ariadne was speechless and remained frozen staring at the disheartened form of Tom. "I'll see you later" He simply walked away but Ariadne's body didn't move at all. The same phrase echoed in her head causing such an upturn of reaction in her mind and heart. _You don't have to lie for me._ Tom left without the proper answer she was wishing to convey: the truth. Yet, thinking about it now, the truth was divided into 2 accounts. One truth that she loved him and the other involving her current situation and involvement with Arthur.

She really couldn't bring herself to tell the facts. Particularly the second one. It was a huge haze of deceptions for her to be avoiding the problem involving the two guys. A consequence that had already been brought forward was the wounding of Tom's heart already with not being able to reciprocate properly the simple and heart filled phrase involving love. Ariadne thought the answer she needed and wanted were the same thing but in fact, they couldn't be any more different. One would've been filled with lies. The other would've been the sole truth. One was right. The other was wrong. She felt like a coward for not choosing a proper answer, let alone the right one but it was because she was afraid of hurting anyone especially Tom. Yet, looking over both answers and the scenarios that would carry forth from them, somebody would be hurting either way. Not just Tom or even Arthur but herself. The constricting conflict between her head and heart with the choices before her was enough to make her feel such agony. All from a little lie.

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><p><strong>SA/N:**

Wow, I don't know if it's just me but I feel like this is my best chapter so far. I WAS ON A COMPLETE ROLL WRITING THIS! It all clicked into place and I feel quite proud. Again, thank you for reading and hope you've enjoyed. I guess this pays from slight writer's block and a lengthy waiting period.


	15. The Truth Hurts

**15. The truth hurts**

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><p>What had Ariadne just done? Through a simple exchange, Ariadne had just implanted the (false) idea in Tom that the reason she was acting agitatedly was because she wasn't comfortable with the major moment involving the simple phrase of "I love you". All without any dream techniques or inception and it was in fact the wrong message that had been planted. Even with it set in the dream, it was all achieved by the power of her current reality. The reality of her difficult situation.<p>

She couldn't imagine what possible consequence could be achieved involving Arthur. This entire drama of their situation had gotten way out of hand and being plunged in the middle of their work location, it wasn't helpful. Considering they were seeing each other nearly every day yet as of lately, their set avoidance of each other was playing out well but it was only a matter of time that they'd face each other again. Running away wasn't going to help. That was the sole truth.

The two of them were at separate work stations keeping as far away from each other. Arthur was working in the open and spacious room that all the hallways led to. Ariadne decided to retreat to a different room and simply sifted through various designs that Tom had lent to her. By lent, it meant that Tom had gotten someone else to give it to her as they were experiencing some trouble themselves. Ariadne was very much going through a double whammy of problematic circumstances. It had drained her will to work hard. So much so that she wasn't even in a formal work arrangement or mood in where she had decided to work. Ariadne was just leaning up against a wall staring but not really absorbing the designs she was given. It wasn't until she heard a knock and the opening of the door to look up and see Eames. "Ah finally! There you are. I was looking everywhere for you". Ariadne half smiled. "I just felt like being somewhere extra quiet". Eames nodded. "Well, I need you in the office space out there. Cobb just wanted to request something for you. Just come out when you're ready". Ariadne nodded back and decided to stand up. She quickly sorted the design and set them in a neat pile on the table nearby her in the room. She soon set out down the hallway.

Only after another corner, she entered the much brighter room that let in the warm sunlight through the glass panes of the roof. She stayed staring at the ground while taking steps forward. She could hear Eames coming nearer holding a file or two and he spoke up. "Okay, Ariadne, Arthur, Cobb needs both of you to get a particular thing done hopefully before the end of the day".

The room was quite warm and bright letting in a nice morning breeze through the open panes of the roof. It all seemed entirely well – wait. Not only was Ariadne's will for work determination deterred but her obvious sense of logic or let alone her mind. It only occurred to her that Arthur was in this same room with her and Eames. The two of them had looked at Eames in delay before glancing at each other at the right – yet perhaps wrong time.

It was the first time she had properly locked gaze with Arthur. It was a brief moment that felt to be slowed down until they swiftly looked away from each other. That look was enough to express their unanswered questions they both wished to settle but just couldn't do. Luckily, Eames hadn't taken any notice to the change of tension between Arthur and Ariadne. Frankly, it seemed that both ways of the conversation meant that the two of them were at first oblivious to Eames and now he was oblivious to their little big problem. "So yes, Cobb is asking for both of you to look through the storeroom and files that might be missing from the case. Cobb believes a couple of pieces are missing before we can complete this mission entirely which is scheduled next month. Amazing how time flies"

And how it could change a lot. Ariadne and Arthur were convinced that Eames was acting entirely absent minded along with the tunnel vision of the mission and work. It seemed much better for that setting as Eames would easily be nit-picking off their conflict in any way to lighten up the mood. It was a pause of momentary silence before Arthur cleared his throat. "Wouldn't Cobb want more of…Tom's assistance? I'm sure he could go in my place".

Eames shook his head. "No, Tom is in fact busy with the designs again and anyway he's not as familiar with the case as any of us so Cobb requested you both". He then looked up from the files and at Arthur whose back was towards him. "You don't seek Ariadne's company at the moment?" It was only meant to be an innocent poke of a joke knowing Eames but only at that moment, the tension between Ariadne and Arthur had intensified. Ariadne uncomfortably looked to the side while Arthur bit the inside of his cheeks in irritation. Eames waited for some lighthearted reaction as he switched looks towards the other two. It only clicked that he may have accidentally stumbled across some deep dispute. He found it odd with the tension in the air that left an uneasy sense. Even more so, he was sure that Arthur and Ariadne were on relevantly good terms or maybe he was mistaken.

The concentrated silence was quite painful to bear on all three parties of the conversation. Ariadne decided to clear her throat. "It's okay. We'll get to it". She quickly spun on her heel and walked back towards the hallway she had come out from and headed to the storeroom. Arthur only allowed a glance to see Ariadne hurry down the hallway. He thumped the desk with his hands before getting up. "Tell Cobb that we started" Arthur stoically affirmed. Eames was left in the same position holding the files still open while holding a subtly perplexed expression. He raised one eyebrow before sitting on a table and continuing to read.

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><p>They worked silently without any contact. They didn't even feel any occasional glances being made because they were both deliberately avoiding a moment like that. All it was: eyes flicking over file after file. It felt uncomfortable in what seemed like a tight and small room. Yet, the privacy and setting of being cut off from the others slightly helped to hide away their established personal struggle. It just overall didn't help with the two of them having to be in the same room and to keep their walls high up.<p>

When it felt that they had completed their task, it was close to the late afternoon. Arthur and Ariadne both packed up without crossing each other. Ariadne only glanced over at Arthur to see his back facing her. It definitely seemed that there wouldn't be any resolving with this much evasion being shared between them. "I'll be going back now" It was the least she could spare to talk to him. She had her hand on the knob but wasn't aware of Arthur who had turned rapidly and was taking long strides to reach and stop her. He raised his arm to close the door that was opened a mere inch by Ariadne. She turned in confusion and saw that this was the closest distance they had been ever since that night. It proved to be slightly uncomfortable as they remained silent. Arthur took a step back and sighed while looking at the floor. Ariadne broke the silence assuming that it would take a rather long time for Arthur to initiate what was perhaps needed between them. "What do you want?" The bold statement slipped out but Ariadne couldn't stop herself.

Arthur only looked up and begun the longest maintenance of a gaze being shared between them. He cleared his throat before replying "You know we can't exactly go on like this. It's not obliging for the work we have to do and –" Ariadne dropped her things before folding her arms and responding sternly. "I think it is fine for this to keep going. After all, we've been through this same act before and we've both learned that trying to fix up on it will just make it worse" Arthur threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "So what: We try to let this blow over? Yea, that worked really well last time despite the death glares and irrational anger-"

"No! You want to know what is irrational: Making the choice of rejecting me all in all but then wanting me all of sudden straight after another person was introduced to this whole dynamic" Ariadne viciously cut off Arthur. He sighed in irritation "You know, the way you put it makes it sound so dramatic when really, it's not that much. I said I'm sorry over a billion times. Is that what you want to hear again? Well, I'm sorry!"

Ariadne didn't respond but just looked down at the ground. Arthur kept waiting but Ariadne just ignored. This was fuelling the hate fire that burned quite brightly between them. It hurt Arthur to see that it had resulted to this with the fire but they somehow knew deep inside that this fire or these high walls were only hiding them from the truth. The truth that they needed to solve but seemed inevitable. Love or lust. Whatever it was, they still felt something towards each other.

"Then what do you want me to say? Do you want me to say what I said that night" Arthur quietly murmured while staring intently at Ariadne. Only then, she looked up securing the same gaze with Arthur. "Do you want me to say that I was jealous or say again that I have feelings for you or say altogether that…I was wrong?" Arthur spoke in a low and serious tone while advancing forward slowly towards Ariadne. She tried to give a heartless and strong gaze against his but it was deteriorating into emotional intimidation and fragile form. Arthur had stopped a foot away from Ariadne before adding "Or do you really want me to say that if it weren't for Tom getting into the picture and if it weren't for your honest introduction of romantic interest: I wouldn't feel this way about you?"

There it was. The truth shattered and revealed before Ariadne. She was entirely too proud to admit to herself that pinning nearly every single wrong thing that has happened on Arthur. This entire chain of events did in fact start with her. But she wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing to do with Arthur. For some reason, there was something keeping their situation's foot in the door but she wanted this to entirely be closed off. She was happy with Tom and wouldn't have it any other way. Was it possible for that past version of herself that wanted to initiate something between her and Arthur to still be in Ariadne holding onto the tiniest last bit of possibility? Yet, the rest of her mind knew the bitter half. She had suffered enough emotional hell all over Arthur during these past couple of months. Heck, Ariadne knew the chance of them deciding to be friends after this was long gone. So that meant, the only left stage of their sort of relationship was that of what her past version wanted. Even now, the certain chance stood before her much more boldly than what it was months ago since Arthur was whittled down and tested enough to let spill of his stubborn feelings. Again, Ariadne could be delusional if she were to continue considering this information of Arthur. She really was better off closing the door entirely. That was the truth within itself.

"You don't have to say anything" Ariadne finally responded. "All you have to do…is just leave Tom alone and especially… leave _me_ alone" After gathering her items, Ariadne walked out leaving Arthur in the cold wake of their argument. All he really hoped for was for some sort of truce or resolution but no matter what; it would result in something worse in either way of letting their complication blow over or trying to talk it out. Was this really how it would be from now on?

* * *

><p>It seemed so.<p>

To add to the way of how things were to be, avoiding contact was one factor for sure. The entire week, it was the highest wall they had built against each other. No looks, no mention of names, no being in the same room, no working near each other, no chances of having to be forced to work together. It was all cut off. It was almost like they were cutting each other out of their lives but they knew too well that their hearts didn't want that. Ariadne still had the stabbing feeling in her mind or tug at her heart about Arthur's emotional intentions but she knew she held her pride high and didn't want to give in. Tom was the main thing she tried to run her mind back to every single time.

She couldn't be any more conflicted about Arthur with being livid but also feeling the pull towards him in matters of emotion. They were both the same sensitive mess.

Ariadne walked into the warehouse seeing Arthur. He was sedated and was checking the designs in dream form again. She edged closer to him. Ariadne saw closely about Tom's designs and it seemed to be opened centrally on where Tom had implanted something quite sentimental. The rising anger caused her hand to tense into a fist but Ariadne recollected herself. There was one way to solve this. She yanked a cord out of the PASIV device and soon she was under.

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><p>She stormed through the city to soon find Arthur. At the spot her heart skipped a beat, now her head got heated with anger at because he was standing right in front of it. The knight piece statue. She didn't care if he was just observing it or inflicting his anger at it, she wanted to push him away from it. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Arthur glanced around to see Ariadne stomping down the stairs. "What do you think?" Arthur haughtily commented. Ariadne glared at him. "I have grown to seriously hate you!" Ariadne insulted. "Why? Just because I'm telling the truth?" Arthur responded. "How do you expect me to believe that's the truth? If you're just trying to play mind games with me by admitting things that you'd think I'd want you to let out!"<p>

"I'm not doing anything bad here. You just have to calm down"

By what Arthur had said, it seemed that Ariadne was willing to give a chance to listen to whatever else he was going to tell her. She knew she had been drawn in by the bait of him being here in this very location of the design and he well and truly wanted to clear some things for their altercation.

"Look, I'm not going to be the asshole here. I'm not trying to pry you away from Tom or whatever. I'm still sorry that I punched him since that's a particular thing you like to hear every single time. And you know what, I could tell that the sort of truth I was saying was something you didn't want to hear but surely you can't deny the truth of the left over connection or potential of us"

"I need you to just stop Arthur oka-"

"No listen! If you can just admit that you felt something as well during that particular night when we argued then I can just walk away and leave the decision to you. I'll stop bothering and leave if that is your decision but just tell the truth"

Ariadne took a moment considering Arthur's bold proposition. Was it now that he was trying to crack her and her emotions? Her original glare had deteriorated to that of a soft expression mixed with confusion and misguidedness. She only held a secure stare with Arthur who held a rather determined look with a glint of brokenness that only reflected the effect of the turmoil that this dispute had brought during this span of time.

She only gulped before quietly saying "Arthur…no"

Arthur paused "Then prove it to me"

Ariadne was taken aback but decided that her patience had been run down by this discussion. Or more so that she was running away from the confrontation. "I don't have time for this. I told you: just stop. I am with Tom! Not you!" Ariadne announced.

She was about to storm away but Arthur grabbed her arm. "Let it go!" Ariadne pulled her arm away from his reach. "No! Just admit it yourself! You're entirely aware of what is between us" Arthur proclaimed. Ariadne marched right in front of him. "Well, I don't anymore" she harshly murmured. She was about to walk away again until Arthur grabbed her arm again. "Let GO!" Ariadne shrieked. Arthur rapidly turned her around and silenced her by his lips.

She was trying to push him away but his hold was strong. All she could do was defenselessly let him kiss her. Her arms were pressed up against her and Arthur's chests which disabled her to push him away and his hands were tight around her waist. She hated him. She hated him so much. The spark that went to a fire, which she then turned to ashes, had somehow turned into a spark again. There was one tiny flicker of a spark that she felt between her and Arthur during that moment. He finally stopped kissing her but kept hold of her. They breathed against each other. For a second, she was indulging in the moment but then she backed away as he loosened his grip around her. She stared at him until she turned around and things got much worse.

Tom was standing there above the stairs and considering his expression, he had seen what Ariadne wished she could take back.

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><p><strong>AN:**

_**I AM SO SORRY TO THE INFINITE MAX**_!

I'm sorry I had to go on a hiatus guys. Basically, I've been going through a rough time with school (boohoo) but it has thrown me off writing for most of this year and so forth but I am trying to recover and getting back on the horse. I still have another 3 chapters so I decided to try and finish this off rightfully for you guys. Again, I'm sorry! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and stay tuned for I shall get this done and dusted. By the way, do check out my new Inception story but in other words, I AM SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING!


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